Fairtrade Fortnight - Cocoa farmers deserve a living wage

Each year for two weeks over February and March (25th February - 10th March 2019), Fairtrade Foundation puts a spotlight on trade through their Fairtrade Fortnight campaign. This year the focus is on ensuring cocoa farmers earn a living income by 2030 in line with the UN’s Global Goals to end poverty. Currently they cocoa farmers struggle on as little as 74p per day, well below the world’s extreme poverty line, and yet for around £1.86 per day, the average price of a large bar of chocolate, farmers could live a decent life.

Based on new research carried out by Fairtrade International and by the ISEAL Alliance, the report, 'Craving change in chocolate: How to secure a living income for cocoa farmers' argues living incomes are key to ensuring the future sustainability of cocoa.

There are many Fairtrade Universities or Colleges across the UK and Ireland. This means they have made a commitment to supporting and using Fairtrade. Over the next week, many of them will be celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight across campus.

Find out what 5 of them are up to!

• University of Gloucestershire are promoting the use of cocoa through a delicious Fairtrade recipe book. You can find the recipes for Mocha Crumb Muffins and Almond and Dark Chocolate Cookies here. This is a great way to support the cause while simultaneously getting to enjoy chocolatey treats.
• Edge Hill University are holding a Sustainability Week in their SU that students and staff can go along to and learn about Fairtrade. Their stand offered free flapjack samples and promotional material about the university being a Fairtrade University. This also fed into the wider Sustainability Week which featured film screenings, nature walks, a sustainability fair and a crafternoon. Find out more about it here.
• Cardiff Metropolitan University are holding a Fairtrade Sports Spectacular with a football and table tennis tournament. Fairtrade celebrations don’t have to centre around food! The Sports Spectacular celebrates cultural diversity, inclusion and internationalisation.
• University of Huddersfield have a huge range of events in their Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations. There is something for everyone, with a Fairtrade Pudding Club on both Fridays, Shrove Tuesday festivities and a seminar on Fairtrade and Sustainable Development. Find out more here.
• Bath Spa University are hosting a free talk where you can come along to meet a coffee and cocoa farmer from Nicaragua. This gives staff and students a chance to learn about the difference Fairtrade makes to farmers and their local community. Find out more here.

This is just a selection of some of the Fairtrade Fortnight events that have been organised. We hope these serve as inspiration to others in the sector. If you want to let others know what you have been doing – just email us, we would love to hear from you.  For additional resources from the Fairtrade Foundation to support you in your Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations, click here.