Fairtrade Fortnight - 21 February to 6 March

Fairtrade Fortnight 2022 highlights the growing challenges that climate change brings to farmers and workers in the communities that Fairtrade works with. For two weeks each year, hundreds of companies and supporters from all over the world come together to share the stories of the people who grow some of the food we eat.

Fairtrade Ireland is a not for profit non-governmental organisation established in 1992 which works to promote fair trading practices between Ireland and developing countries. Fairtrade is based on a partnership between some of the most disadvantaged farmers and workers in the developing world and the people who buy their products and provides an alternative approach to conventional trade. When farmers and workers can sell on Fairtrade terms, it provides them with a better deal: an opportunity to improve their lives and plan for their future. Fairtrade offers a powerful way to reduce poverty through our everyday shopping.

Over 1.4 million farmers and workers spread across more than 70 countries in the world participate in Fairtrade. Fairtrade Standards are designed to tackle poverty and empower producers in the poorest countries in the world. The standards apply to both producers and traders. They include a range of economic, environmental and social criteria that must be met by producers and traders in order to acquire or retain Fairtrade certification.

Fairtrade Fortnight aims highlight the work done by and the climate action challenges faced by small-scale farmers in developing countries. Small- scale farmers need support and living incomes if we are to expect forests to be looked after in support of climate protection measures.The climate crisis poses an immediate threat and those in climate vulnerable countries are already seeing its impacts from droughts and crop disease to floods, heatwaves and shrinking harvests, all whilst trying to manage their farms and forests sustainably.

Check out Fairtrade Fortnight events here. 

Social Justice Ireland  believes that Ireland must play an active and effective part in promoting sustainable development in the Global South and to ensure that all of Ireland's policies are consistent with such development.