Not only does the iPad help producers in the daily management of the cooperative, many farmers’ children and grandchildren live abroad and thanks to the iPad it will be easier to stay in touch with them.

But there is more. With the iPad the producer organisation wants to attract its younger members in the day-to-day running of the cooperative. And it seems to work. One farmer’s son is already participating in the management now, that the cooperative has shown its commitment to invest in the future. The iPad is rejuvenating the organisation!

The ACE is an annual award recognising businesses that exhibit exemplary corporate citizenship, promote innovation, and advance democratic principles. Sorwathe, which won the price in the small-and-medium-business category, was honored for its efforts to support adult literacy, worker association and collective bargaining rights, undertake sustainable forestry and water management, and produce socially and environmentally responsible high quality tea. It also distinguished itself by leading the charge for the eradication of child labor in Rwanda’s tea sector.

‘I am extremely proud to accept this award on behalf of the employees of Sorwathe Tea Importers, my family and especially on behalf of small-scale farmers that we support through tea production in Rwanda,’ says manager Andrew Wertheim. ‘We are committed to maintaining the standards we have set in corporate social responsibility and stewardship, and hope our efforts will serve as a model for others.’

A big congratulation to Sorwathe for this high-level recognition!

Fairtrade producers across the globe received over 80 million USD in Fairtrade premiums in 2010-2011, an increase of 19%. The figure was published in Fairtrade International’s annual Monitoring & Evaluation report.

Among other findings, the report highlights the importance of small farmer organisations in the Fairtrade system. By the end of 2011, the total number of Fairtrade small-scale farmers topped 1 million—with a 26% increase in sales revenues on Fairtrade terms.

‘Fairtrade is making a difference for over a million farmers and workers and their families, as this report shows,’ says Harriet Lamb, Chief Executive at Fairtrade International. ‘The rich data here gives insights into our core strengths—for example our world class work with smallholder organisations—as well as those areas where we need to improve, such as in furthering workers’ empowerment and progress toward a living wage.’

The report also shows a strong growth in cocoa and sugar, between 2010 and 2011. Fairtrade Premium received by smallholder cocoa farmers increased by 89%, while the total number of farmers producing Fairtrade sugar grew from 17,600 to 37,200. This reflects the initial results of large-scale commitments to Fairtrade by major sugar and chocolate companies.

While the data show strong growth across many indicators for small producer organisations, plantations and other hired labour set-ups in some product areas continued to sell only a relatively small share of their production as Fairtrade. Recognising this, Fairtrade is beginning implementation of a new Hired Labour Strategy to increase impact and ensure greater benefits for workers.

For the full report, please visit www.fairtrade.net

Michael Gidney is Fairtrade Foundation’s new Chief Executive Officer.

Michael has over 20 years of experience in international development with a focus on poverty eradication, proving him the best candidate to drive the advocacy for fairer trade. He has had the privilege of seeing the functioning of Fairtrade both as an executive while serving as the Deputy Executive Director and a non-executive while serving at the Fairtrade Foundation board while he was Policy Director at Traidcraft.

Michael replaces Harriet Lamb who took the helm of Fairtrade International earlier in 2012.

SOPACDI is the only Fairtrade certified producer organisation in DRC. Due to the dire situation of coffee farmers in the region, Fairtrade took the unique decision to give the cooperative permission to trade on Fairtrade terms on the basis of a documentary inspection as the conflict prevents FLO-CERT inspectors from travelling to DRC. The farmers sell their coffee to traders in the UK and Belgium.

‘We’re working hard to transition eligible ingredients to be Fairtrade,’ says Fairtrade Project Manager Kate Paine. ‘Our products have an immense variety of chunks and swirls, making it an extremely complex conversion. But we look forward to the challenge as we pursue the Fairtrade conversion by the end of 2013.’

And there is more good news from the US. Fairtrade International USA is taking shape as a Board of Directors and an Interim Operations Manager were appointed. With a newly established office in Washington, D.C., Fairtrade International USA is now open for business.

The Fairtrade Access Fund provided its first loan to COPROCAEL in Honduras. The new fund, run by Fairtrade International, Incofin Investment Management and Grameen Foundation, is offering a range of loans and technical assistance to Fairtrade certified farmers’ organisations.

COPROCAEL received a trade finance loan of US$ 570,000 to purchase the coffee of its 170 member farmers during the harvest season. The coffee will later be exported to the American and European market.

The Fairtrade Access Fund, announced last year in April, is now fully operational and open to investment opportunities. It offers loans and technical assistance to Fairtrade organisations in Latin America and will expand to Africa in future.

Small producer organisations in Ghana and Mauritius were among 131  cooperatives, who altogether received a grant of a quarter of a million USD to finance their certification fees last year.

The producer certification fund is applicable to small farmer organisations that are applying for or renewing their Fairtrade certification, but lack sufficient finances. The grant, which is intended to co-finance certification fees (and not pay the full fee), is aimed at benefitting as many producers as possible.

Application details can be found on the Fairtrade International website (www.fairtrade.net) or by email fund@ fairtrade.net

One day before the presidential elections at the beginning of March, Tambuzi invited its workers, representing different Kenyan tribes, and the wider community to watch a street theatre performance on peace, set up by Kenyan NGO S.A.F.E and a UK charity. Tambuzi workers marched from their farm to the nearby town singing peace songs and encouraging the wider community to come and watch the play. They were all wearing peace T-shirts with the slogan ‘One tribe, one country!’

The event was funded entirely by Fairtrade premiums. 

‘Over the next two years both organisations will train Fairtrade tea producers on how to incorporate SALM into their everyday production,’ explains Wangeci Gitata, Fairtrade Africa’s Fundraising Manager. ‘Fairtrade International is also involved, and will approach commercial partners to secure future sales and support.’

A research by the National Resources Institute (NRI 2010) shows that unless drastic adaptation and mitigation measures are taken, by 2030, there will be large areas in Eastern Africa that will be rendered unsuitable for tea growing. The producers are already feeling the impact. Last year, tea farmers were badly hit by a frost spell the worst ever case in Kenya.

‘Some Fairtrade producers lost more than 30% of their harvest. It is against this backdrop that we decided to apply for the climate change project,’ Wangeci concludes.