To celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight 2023 (27th February to 12th March) groups across Monmouthshire are holding events designed to engage, inform and educate people on the urgent threat to the future of food grown overseas. The events are part of the Fairtrade Foundation’s annual campaign to celebrate the farmers abroad who grow some of Britain’s everyday staples.
Fairtrade Fortnight will once again shine a spotlight on the climate crisis and the increasing threat it poses to some of the planet’s most beloved food products as well as the livelihoods of the farmers and agricultural workers who grow them. It will show how the future survival of the world’s most popular foods – such as bananas, cocoa, and coffee – hangs in the balance unless we support farmers and agricultural workers playing a central role in the climate response.
Bananas are the world’s most popular fruit and the banana trade remains the cornerstone of many countries’ economy. For more than 450 million people around the world, bananas and plantains are vital staple crops, particularly in lower-income nations. But amid the impact of climate change and the resulting threats posed by plant diseases, the future of bananas is increasingly at risk. A recent study warns that dramatic weather patterns spurred by climate change will likely deliver severe blows to agricultural production in key regions around the world, with some areas experiencing less rainfall and more extreme temperatures, while other countries will see an increased risk of tropical cyclones.
Likewise, coffee growers in the Mt Elgon region of Uganda are experiencing mudslides and flooding with increasing regularity. Their effects are devastating and often fatal. Fairtrade means that these communities are able to work together to fight back through tree planting, sustainable farming methods and joint education programmes. These schemes help communities to mitigate the impacts of climate change and become more resilient to the weather extremes they increasingly face.
Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, Councillor Catrin Maby said, “Climate change is affecting people’s lives across the world. Fairtrade is helping farmers and growers to develop ways to cope with the impacts of climate change and adapt to different weather extremes. Monmouthshire is proud to be a Fairtrade county, and it is important that we think carefully about the impact of what we put in our shopping baskets. Buying Fairtrade really makes a difference to people’s lives and helps communities to become more resilient, enabling them to continue to get a decent income from the foods which we enjoy.”
Monmouthshire’s four Fairtrade Town groups in Abergavenny, Chepstow, Monmouth and Usk are organising a host of events across the country during Fairtrade Fortnight.
The events include: Saturday 18th February, Fairtrade Stall at Usk Farmer’s Market at The Willows Garden Centre, 9am-11.30am. Friday 24th February at Abergavenny Football Club, Pen-y-Pound, 2pm, Kadun Rees of Fairtrade Wales speaks to Abergavenny U3A. Monday 20th February until 12th March, Chepstow Fairtrade Trail – Collect an entry form from Toytastik or Coffee#1, follow the trail to find Fairtrade products around town and then enter a prize draw to win a Fairtrade prize.
Each event will bring home the message that choosing Fairtrade, whatever your budget and wherever you shop, means a more sustainable future for our favourite foods and an investment in farmers to take care of the environment.
| Sat 18th February | 9am – 11.30am | Usk Farmers’ Market, The Willows Garden Centre | Fair Trade Stall with information and also Fairtrade products to buy |
| Tues 21st February | 12.30 – 2pm | Abergavenny Methodist Church Hall | Pancake Lunch |
| Fri 24th February | 2pm | Abergavenny Football Club, Pen y Pound | “Fair Trade: Global Justice Starts with You”: Kadun Rees of Fairtrade Wales speaks to Abergavenny U3A |
| 20th February – 12th March | Chepstow Town Centre | Chepstow Fairtrade Trail – Collect an entry form from Toytastik or Coffee#1, follow the trail to find Fairtrade products around town and then enter a prize draw to win a Fairtrade prize | |
| 27th February – 12th March | Online | Fairtrade Fortnight Quiz – Monmouthshire County Council councillors and staff will be taking part in a quiz to learn all about Fairtrade | |
| 27th February – 12th March | Monmouth Town Centre | Volunteers will be visiting coffee shops, food outlets, groups, schools and work places to update a leaflet on what Fairtrade products are available where, offering ‘Buy Fairtrade here’ window stickers and encouraging others to stock Fairtrade. | |
| 27th February – 12th March | Monmouth Warm Spaces | Volunteers will be donating Fairtrade coffee to Monmouth’s 6 Warm Spaces | |
| Thurs 2nd March | 10.30am – 12 | Christchurch Hall, North St Abergavenny | Jenipher and Nimrod from Jenipher’s Coffi, Uganda, will speak at Coffee morning. Also a Fair Trade stall. |
| Thurs 2nd March | Osbaston Primary School | Fairtrade assembly | |
| Sat 4th March | 9am – 11.30am | Usk Farmers’ Market, The Willows Garden Centre | Fair Trade Stall with information and also Fairtrade products to buy |
| Sat 4th March | 12 – 2pm | Waitrose, Llanfoist, Abergavenny | ‘Reaching out to our community’: Fairtrade event |
| Wed 8th March | 10.30am – 12.00 | Llangybi Village Hall | Fair Trade Stall at Drop In Cafe with information and also Fairtrade products to buy Llangybi Village Hall |
| Wed 8th March | Pembroke Primary School, Chepstow | Fairtrade volunteers taking assembly and lessons | |
| Sat 11th March | 10.30am | Abergavenny Library | Fairtrade Coffee morning |
| Sat 25th March | 10am to 12.30pm | Monmouth Priory | Fairtrade coffee and homemade cakes with a Fairtrade stalls/Raffle/Aprons from Isooko Women’s Cooperative. |
About Fairtrade
Fairtrade changes the way trade works through better prices, decent working conditions, and a fairer deal for farmers and workers in low-income countries.
Fairtrade International is an independent non-profit organization representing 1.9 million small-scale farmers and workers worldwide. It owns the FAIRTRADE Mark, a registered trademark of Fairtrade that appears on more than 37,000 products. Beyond certification, Fairtrade International and its member organizations empower producers, partner with businesses, engage consumers, and advocate for a fair and sustainable future.
Fairtrade is committed to fighting the climate crisis. Fairtrade Standards encourage producers to protect the environment by improving soil, planting trees, conserving water and avoiding pesticides, while Fairtrade’s programmes include climate academies for farmers to share best practice. At the same time, Fairtrade makes training available to producers so that they can use the latest agricultural methods, such as intercropping and shade-grown coffee to adapt to conditions.
The FAIRTRADE Mark on a product means that the Fairtrade ingredients in that product have been independently verified by FLOCERT, an independent certifier accredited by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). FLOCERT can and do suspend or, in some cases, even decertify Fairtrade producer organisations if their audit shows that Fairtrade Standards are not being complied with.
Find out more at http://www.fairtrade.net