#AfricaMonth: Fairtrade consumers can realise Africa's potential

The challenge: poverty cannot be resolved until inequality is addressed

The effects of climate change are resulting in the loss of 12 million hectares of productive land each year. Women work to produce 60-80% of the world’s food, yet the number of women living below the poverty line has increased by 50% since the 1970s. About 168 million boys and girls around the world are engaged in child labour, mostly in agriculture.

The good news is that Africa has an immense potential to be more egalitarian and sustainable through fairer trade and positive consumption choices.

Fairtrade farmers and workers have a voice

The Fairtrade system is 50% owned by farmers and workers themselves to ensure they are part of the most important decisions, shaping global strategy and running operations across three continents.

Today, more than 1.5 million people – farmers and workers – across more than 74 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system – with more than 800,000 of them located in East Africa. The region now represents 64 percent of all farmers and workers in Fairtrade. These African farms supply various international markets where Fairtrade is a recognised food trend and a vibrant movement with a wide variety of Fairtrade products like coffee, tea, sugar, cocoa, cotton, and fresh fruit.

The Fairtrade Development Premium, an additional sum of money paid to Fairtrade producers to invest in social and economic projects, earned by producers in Africa and the Middle East totalled an estimated €23.5 million in 2013–14 and accounted for 22 percent of global Fairtrade Premium. But Fairtrade remains far from achieving its ambitious goal of a world where trade can be a true tool of opportunity and inclusion for all.

Fairtrade label as a consumer tool

The independent consumer label appears on products to show that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal from trade.

Fairtrade in South Africa has experienced significant growth over the past few years: from year-on-year sales of Fairtrade products to becoming the largest producing country of Fairtrade wine globally. Working with leading brands like Pick n Pay, Woolworths, Cadbury, Mugg & Bean and Protea Hotel has been key in establishing the market for Fairtrade in South Africa. The growth of the South African market yields substantial benefits for farming communities of Africa and other developing regions. This is however only the beginning, there is still so much more to achieve.

Consumers can empower farmers and workers by simply enjoying their guilty pleasures

Consumers can fight climate change by sipping on their coffee and give a farm worker’s kid a better education with each sip of your chardonnay. By choosing products that are Fairtrade certified, consumers can contribute to a better world all the while enjoying their guilty pleasures.