UK’s Fairtrade Fortnight goes on, but with pandemic alterations

For two weeks each year at the end of February and start of March (this year that means 2/22 through 3/7), thousands of individuals, companies and groups across the UK come together to share the stories of the people who grow our food and drinks. mine our gold and who grow the cotton in our clothes, people who are often exploited and underpaid.  This event is called Fairtrade Fortnight.

In 2021, Fairtrade Fortnight will feel very different. 2020 was a hard year for everyone and the organizers recognize that physically campaigning and meeting people will continue to be challenging in 2021.  However, they also heard from so many fans of the event who wanted to continue to support Fairtrade, that they made some changes in order to keep it going.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us more than ever how interconnected we are globally. This interconnection is at the very heart of the Fairtrade message and is where your role begins. You are part of the Fairtrade movement and you have the power to drive long-term change, not only with your shopping choices but with your support in spreading the message. We just have to do this a little differently in 2021!”

In Fairtrade Fortnight 2021, the organizers will highlight the growing challenges that climate change brings to farmers and workers in the communities Fairtrade works with. The facts are straightforward. Farmers and workers in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Honduras, who have done the least to contribute to climate change, are disproportionately affected by it. They have said that:

• Climate change is one of their biggest challenges right now.
• Low prices for their crops mean that they are struggling to fight back.
• Only with more money will they feel equipped to meet their everyday needs and deal with the challenges they face from climate change.

The climate crisis is an immediate and ever-increasing threat and those in climate vulnerable countries are already seeing its impacts from droughts and crop disease to floods, heatwaves and shrinking harvests.

We need your help to put farmers’  voices at the heart of tackling the climate crisis and share the reality of their struggles. Our global trading system is balanced in favour of the powerful few. Trapped in this system, farmers already struggle to meet their immediate needs. More than ever, they need a fair price for their crops and their hard work. ​ 

Fairtrade works to raise the voices of farmers and workers and prioritise what they need to respond to the environmental crises unfolding in already vulnerable communities. This Fortnight, we are asking you to ‘Choose the World You Want’ and use your voice to tell others about the challenges that farmers face from climate change. 

With the emergence of the global COVID pandemic, the challenges that farmers face now are bigger than ever before with falling commodity prices and widespread shocks reverberating along our global supply chains. Ongoing poverty in farming communities makes it increasingly hard to cope with the effects of climate change. 

We will be hosting an online festival bringing together schools, universities, businesses, supporters, campaigners and farmers from across the world to choose the world they want.

If you’d like to get involved and join the Fairtrade Fortnight…

• Join the online festival with your friends and family. Sign up today to get all the latest news as more exciting events are confirmed. You can expect to find fascinating and fun events featuring all parts of the global Fairtrade community, including Fairtrade farmers and workers, other climate campaigners and of course the amazing grassroots network.

• Use the event’s social media resources to spread the word online and add more voices. You will find posts and banners for your facebook, twitter and instagram along with this Fortnight’s key messages and FAQs to support your online campaigning. Head to the Fairtrade Fortnight 2021 folder on the Resources Library to see all the full range of materials available.
• Are you between the ages of 5-25? Get involved in the ‘Choose the World You Want’ youth exhibition in Fairtrade Fortnight 2021. Click here for more information.
• Read the stories of farmers affected by climate change.
• Host your own online meeting or event. This could be anything from a discussion space, a quiz … even an online coffee morning, a cook along, a crafting session or a talk as part of the Climate Coalition’s Show the Love 2021. We know you all have so many ideas and anything goes as long as it gives you the opportunity to talk Fairtrade!
• There are free Zoom Business accounts available to support your events which you can request by emailing us at communities@fairtrade.org.uk.
• Head to our Fairtrade Fortnight 2021 folder where you will find online posters to advertise your event, a press release for your local paper, a ‘How to support Fairtrade online’ guide with lots of tips, tricks, and examples from your fellow campaigners, virtual backgrounds and many other resources.
• You can also sign the Climate Coalition’s Climate Declaration and tell your local MP or Council about your commitment to putting the voices of farmers and workers at the heart of the climate crisis fight. A new press release template is available now.

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