Empowering coffee farmers though fairtrade - gallery

Coffee is the most valuable and widely traded tropical agricultural product, yet coffee farmers receive just seven to 10% of the retail price of coffee in supermarkets, while 33% goes to the retailer. Fairtrade ensures that farmers always get paid at least what it costs them to grow their coffee. "My life is much better since my co-operative joined Fairtrade. I earn a stable income and I learnt to share my wealth with the community using our premium. I am proud to be a Fairtrade member," says Dao Tich thi Tuyen, coffee farmer and member at Hop Tac Co-op in Vietnam. Photograph: Lottie Davies

Despite growing around 70% of the world’s food and 80% of its coffee, smallholders make up over half of the world’s undernourished people. Fairtrade supports these smallholders, teaching them to control their businesses in the global markets. "The benefits of Fairtrade are much, much wider than price - now I know how to export. If Fairtrade had not come in, we wouldn’t have known how to export. We have contacts in Europe who give us information on the markets and contacts. Before we didn’t know the language of futures or markets - now that is also our language and we can impart a bit of that to the farmers. Now even the farmers ask about the price in London," says John Kanjagaile, export manager at KCU Tanzania. Photograph: Matt Crossick

Only with Fairtrade do farmers receive an additional amount, the premium, which they choose for themselves how to invest. "In the almost eight years that we have been certified, the premiums have been destined towards social programmes that have supported education and health. We have provided production material for the farms; we have tackled issues relating to food security and we are working with producers who undergo periods of food shortages, so we can support their nutrition," says Erwin Miranda, general manager at COOMPROCOM, Nicaragua. Photograph: Lottie Davies

Because farmers choose how they spend the premium, they can focus on what’s important to them, whether it’s improving the health of their community with clean water, building the next generation with school books, or investing in the future of their farms through training and equipment. "The Fairtrade Premium goes toward improving resource conservation, sustainable agriculture and a credit union that gives out small loans to member families. It has helped us with improvements to the water supply, local roads, mosques and schools, as well as agricultural diversification into vanilla, potatoes and bananas," says Mohammed Salim, a member of PPKGO in Indonesia. Photograph: Lottie Davies

Many choose to spend the premium on diversification of crops, to give the smallholders a year-round profit, and a secure source of food. "Being part of the Fairtrade family for us has been a contributing factor in our success, a condition that has favoured growth as an organisation and at the farm level," says Oscar Omar Alonso from COMSA, Honduras. Photograph: Lottie Davies

Fairtrade helps farms become more resilient in an unpredictable environment, and supports them to be stronger, to help adapt to a changing climate. "A good proportion of the social premium is destined to reforestation programmes, to programmes for the protection of water sources and to capacity building programmes on the correct use of agro-chemicals, because as an organisation we have opted to follow the ethical principles linked to sustainable production," says Fatima Ismael, general manager at Soppexcca, Nicaragua Photograph: Lottie Davies

Faitrade emphasises the importance of sustainable agriculture and gives environmental standards, including prohibiting the use of pesticides, to grow better quality crops. "The knowledge that we have acquired thanks to being Fairtrade producers.. has led to the development of a production strategy and with the premium we are making improvements- we are developing organic composts that give life to our soils and allow us to have nutritious and healthy plants," says Sonia Mercedes Vasquez, farmer and technical manager at COMSA. Photograph: Lottie Davies

Fairtrade builds stronger, more stable communities because farmers can use the premium to invest in improvements that can benefit everyone, like clean water and roads. "When farmers join Fairtrade they advance not only economically, but also socially. Fairtrade is the only label that always provides a stable price and a social premium, and this is very important for farmers," says Jose Fernando Aguirre, COOPCAFER, Colombia. Photograph: Lottie Davies

Global coffee consumption has almost doubled in the last 40 years, and is forecast to reach 9.09 million tonnes by 2019. "We are very grateful to consumers who purchase Fairtrade for all their support. With these sales, we are slowly improving our quality of life. We can now make small investments on our homes, health and future, and education is finally a possibility for us," says Elemer Pena, sales manager, Cenfrocafe, Peru Photograph: Lottie Davies