Fairtrade helps coffee farmers prepare for change

Fairtrade is working closely with coffee farmers to help protect future production volumes and combat extreme weather and changing seasonal patterns resulting from climate change. The price of coffee is volatile, and can fluctuate wildly year to year. Unpredictable weather conditions and susceptibility to disease also present significant challenges to growers. As a result, independent non-profit organisation Fairtrade says many of the small-scale farmers who supply 80 per cent of total coffee volumes experience reduced yields and are at risk of producing low-quality crops. Due to systemic inequality in coffee trade structures, many also lack the financial and technical capacity to adapt to or mitigate these damaging effects. 
Read More