‘Accessing the international market for our fresh produce has been a challenge; however, through our interactions with SIPPO, we are making headway,’ says Winfred Gelli of Elikem Welfare Association. ‘Hopefully our participation in the 2013 Fruit Logistica Fair will open more opportunities for our member farmers.’

The Fruit Logistica Fair is an international fair for fresh produce trade in Berlin, Germany. During the workshop, producers learned how they could participate. Other presentations were on the topics of SME certification and improving competitiveness. Fairtrade Africa was invited to explain the Fairtrade system to non-certified participants.

Apart from Fairtrade farmers, the workshop was attended by members of the Swiss Embassy, the Ghana Export Promotion Council and the Federation of Ghana Exporters.

An estimated 14 million meals will be served at the Games, making it the largest peace-time catering operation in the world! From the outset, sustainability has been embedded in the set-up of the Olympics and Fairtrade will be playing its part. All bananas, tea, coffee and sugar will be Fairtrade certified, a tremendous achievement by the Fairtrade Foundation. Furthermore, Cadbury is one of the official sponsors of the Olympics so Fairtrade chocolate will be on display as well.

The Olympic Games present a golden opportunity to promote Fairtrade to audiences from across the globe. Fairtrade is determined to make the most of it.

But the main focus of the AFC remained the Fairtrade Africa Forum, where high-level expert speakers tackled agricultural and trade issues. This year’s theme was in line with Fairtrade Africa’s ultimate goal – to create ‘Effective trade partnerships for sustainable livelihoods in Africa’. The Ghanaian Trade Minister Hanna Tetteh, who was a key note speaker at the event, acknowledged the need for collaboration to support farmers and improve production while ensuring sustainable growth.

‘The Ghanaian government has a lot in common with Fairtrade. The question is how best to structure that engagement so that we can achieve the objectives we share,’ she underlined during her speech. Her announcement that the government would like to set up a partnership with Fairtrade, was met with a warm round of applause.

Board Chairman

Chief Adam Tampuri, Ghana

Chief Adam, who is also chair of Fairtrade Africa’s West Africa Network, is a cashew farmer. Over the past four years he has been heading the Gbankuliso Cashew Farmers Association, which produces cashew nuts and shea butter.

Board Members

Mahmoud Al-Husseini, Egypt

Mahmoud is Technical Director at Magrabi Agriculture, a hired labour organisation which produces fresh fruits and flowers. He is also specialised in quality management.

Brenda Achieng, Kenya

Brenda is Corporate Affairs & Compliance Manager at Finlays Horticulture, a flower farm in Kenya. She is also specialised in HR issues.

Doreen Chanje, Malawi

Doreen is Managing Director of FoodSec Consulting. She specialises in compliance training for smallholder organisations in regard to Fairtrade standards and food safety management. Doreen is also founding member of the Malawi Fairtrade Network.

Noel Oettlé, South Africa

Noel, who is a Programme Manager at Environmental Monitoring Group, served as a Board Member of Fairtrade Africa since 2007 and as Chair and Secretary to the Board of Fairtrade South Africa from 2006 till 2009.

In total over 40 organisations, of which 30 were Fairtrade producers, introduced themselves to the AFC attendees via a stand. ‘Our booth was very popular since we were the only sector to exhibit vanilla,’ says Fairtrade producer Noviasy Tafara from REFAMADA in Madagascar. ‘Due to high demand, the vanilla bean samples were quickly exhausted. Many booth visitors promised to come to Madagascar to meet with cocoa, vanilla, and litchi Fairtrade producers.’

Other booth participants included NGOs (e.g. AGRA, Oxfam-Wereldwinkels, Care International…), financial institutions (e.g. responsibility, Alterfin…), and Fairtrade stakeholders (Fairtrade Foundation, Fairtrade Germany…).

What surprised you the most?
They were both very different, one being an organic cooperative quite new to the system; the other being a long established plantation. At ABOCFA I learned about the different requirements between organic and Fairtrade certification. ABOCFA management explained that for organic certification they have to comply with the rules whereas Fairtrade is more about gaining commitment and buy-in from all members. At Gold Coast Fruits I was pleasantly surprised to see just how committed the Premium Management Committee is, particularly in finding ways to meet the most pressing needs of its workers.

Did you learn something new?
It was my first time visiting a producer so everything was new! What really struck me was how much care and time it takes to grow pineapples. It takes 14 month – which is longer than growing a baby! – and still the price of a pineapple is lower than a glass of beer in a bar…

How will you use these experiences in your work?
These experiences have been very valuable. My colleagues will use my pictures and concrete examples for presentations to traders. I have also updated our blog. The contacts I made are also significant: Fairtrade Germany and our member organisations regularly organise campaigns and events with producers and I now can recommend who to invite and put people in touch.

Thank you to all participating producer organisations – ABOCFA, Bio Exotica, Bomarts, Gold Coast Fruits, VREL and  Africa’s first Fair Trade town New Koforidua.

Wangeci Gitata is the new Fundraising and Partnerships Manager. She is responsible for raising funds as well as fostering strategic partnerships for Fairtrade Africa.

Rachel Wandia is Fairtrade Africa’s new Market Development Manager. She helps grow the Fairtrade movement and market within East Africa.

The Executive Assistant position is being held by Ann Riungu, who performs administrative and logistical tasks in support to the Executive Team and the Board.

CEO steps down

Rob Cameron, who has been the Chief Executive Officer of Fairtrade International for the last four years, has decided to leave the organisation. In the immediate term, the organisation will be led by an Executive Management Team drawn from senior management.  The board will shortly begin a comprehensive global recruitment process for a new Chief Executive.

The plan is bold and ambitious, according to Fairtrade Africa’s Director of Programmes James Mwai: ‘Building upon the success of the previous years, the plan is geared towards increasing the numbers of producers and producer organisations by over 60% within the next five years. With secured market access this will translate into a similar increase in premiums, contributing to greater investment by communities in their own development.’

The growth in producers also indicates an increase in sustainable production of over 1.4 million hectares in Africa. Since farming in Africa is a communal activity, knowledge on sustainable farming is expected to be further transferred, increasing Fairtrade’s impact two to three times.

Fairtrade Africa worked closely together with its Fairtrade partners on the plan.

‘We opted for an integrated planning approach during which the Producer Networks and the LIs came together to share and develop joint plans. This allows for greater collaboration and synergy, further improving the likelihood that the producer support contributes to market development and vice versa.’

The Fairtrade booth
An exhibition booth was set up at the Durban International Convention Center, where the negotiations were being held. The booth provided an excellent platform for the delegation to engage with various people representing civil society and government.

The Fairtrade cocktail
During the Fairtrade cocktail, hosted with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Fairtrade Africa’s Chairman Adam Tampuri (Ghana) and producer Tommy Matthews (India) gave inspiring speeches on the plight of farmers in the developing world. Participants enjoyed various Fairtrade products.

The round table
Producers also engaged with the European Parlement in a round table discussion. Producers explained how Europe can assist them in overcoming this new challenge. Adam Tampuri, Chairman of Fairtrade Africa, specifically stressed that adaptation through crop change is not a welcome option for farmers. This is an opinion that many Fairtrade farmers share, yet crop change might be the only option in the future if the current policy regime does not change.

As the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) now estimates a temperature rise of between 3.5-5 degrees Celsius, climate change remains a serious threat. Whilst Fairtrade successfully raised its profile as a key actor within the negotiations, much work needs to be done to contribute to global and national policies that will benefit Fairtrade producers. Consequently, Fairtrade Africa will continue to lead advocacy initiatives in 2012 to ensure Fairtrade farmers have an avenue to influence the decisions.

Next target: COP 18 in Qatar.

These are some of the highlights of Fairtrade International’s 2011 Monitoring Report. The report is based on producer data from 2010 and delivers a wealth of information on the impact Fairtrade is making for farmers and workers in developing countries.

The report demonstrates that Fairtrade is working for producers, who stated a 22% increase in Fairtrade Premium returns in 2010 from the previous report period, and a 24% increase in Fairtrade sales value to producers overall.

Fairtrade also sees a continued growth in the numbers of farmers and workers participating in the system. An estimated 1.15 million people benefited from Fairtrade in 2010.

Africa is Fairtrade’s biggest region, counting 60% of its members and workers. Figures show that Fairtrade sales revenue to African producers totaled to almost USD 175 million in 2009-2010 – or 24% of global Fairtrade sales revenue. Fairtrade Premium revenues totaled USD 18 million.

The Monitoring Report is valuable in revealing areas where Fairtrade has challenges to overcome, and is helping to identify key areas and programmes to work on in the months ahead.
The full report can be downloaded at www.fairtrade.net