Fairtrade Fortnight is going online from Monday 22 February and Ilkley Fairtrade Group is inviting people to two free online festivals to learn about how the climate crisis is impacting farmers and food supplies in developing countries, and why it is essential that we address poverty.
The fortnight marks the start of a new climate campaign asking public to get behind Fairtrade so that farmers overseas can benefit from fairer prices, fairer trading practices and the resources needed for tackling the climate emergency in climate vulnerable countries such as Kenya, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Fairtrade coffee farmer Bayardo Betanco, of the Prodecoop co-operative in Nicaragua, said: ‘There is a chain on earth that starts where the producers are. They are the ones who suffer the consequences of climate change, the ones who get the least help, and carry all of the burden. It’s not fair.’
The Fairtrade Foundation’s ‘Choose the world you want’ festival includes discussions between Fairtrade farmers, other experts and famous faces about what we need to do to choose a better future, interactive workshops on sustainable living in the UK, and a fun Fairtrade quiz event. All the festival booking details are on www.fairtrade.org.uk
Ilkley Fairtrade Group is sponsoring Fairtrade Yorkshire’s free online ‘Fairtrade Connections’ community arts festival, which has something for all ages. You can hear from acclaimed poets and photographers, cook along with a Bake Off contestant, learn how to make Fairtrade chocolate truffles, entertain the children with Fairtrade-themed craft activities and games, and hear from Fairtrade banana and coffee farmers in Ghana, Rwanda and Uganda. All the event details and booking links are on www.fairtradeyorkshire.org.uk and the events are also listed within the Fairtrade Foundation festival website.
As a bit of fun during Fairtrade Fortnight, a number of post boxes across Yorkshire are being yarn bombed with the Fairtrade logo. If you find one in Ilkley or elsewhere, the group asked you please take a photo and post it on social media using #FairtradeConnections.
Chair of Ilkley Fairtrade Group, Karen Palframan, said “We hope the free online festival events enable people to learn more about all that Fairtrade does to help achieve economic, social and environmental sustainability for farmers and workers. Fairtrade has always had strict environmental certification standards, and has a range of training programmes to help farmers deal with climate change. We urge everyone, including businesses, to buy more Fairtrade products – every single purchase of Fairtrade items such as tea, coffee, chocolate, bananas and wine really does help towards achieving a more sustainable and fairer world. Members from several of Ilkley’s churches and Ilkley Soroptimists are having fund-raising events for Traidcraft Exchange and JTS during Fairtrade Fortnight, and have ordered their Fairtrade items from local Traidcraft reps for online Fairtrade tea parties, meals and quizzes. Fairtrade products are also available in all of Ilkley’s supermarkets, so it’s easy to find them and help choose the world we want”
For further information about Fairtrade or Ilkley Fairtrade Group, contact the group via Facebook @ilkleyfairtrade or email ilkleyfairtradegroup@gmail.com
Fairtrade Fortnight runs from 22 February to 7 March 2021.