COVID-19 FAIR TRADE EMERGENCY INITIATIVE

Providing direct support to producers on the frontline of the pandemic

This project is funded by BMZ/German Development Cooperation.

Timeline of grant: November 1st 2020 - June 30th 2022 (20 months)

Main project objective:

The main objective of the project is to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Fairtrade producers’ health, wellbeing and economic sustainability by:

Providing immediate relief and support prevention of further spread of the pandemic on at-risk producers and their wider communities in Latin America, Africa and Asia;

Helping producers recover from economic losses due to COVID-19. This includes supporting them to maintain and diversify their supply chain relations, and ensure business continuity, food security and income generation.

Target group:

Producer organizations in 21 countries:

Africa: Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa.

Asia: Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines.

Latin America & the Caribbean: Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru.

Project description

When it comes to the three regions, the type of activities will vary as to be more effective and suited to their needs. For example:

In Africa and Asia, the activities will encompass short-term prevention and relief measures, as well as support for short to mid-term economic recovery activities. This will include helping ensure business continuity and improving the resilience of producers through crop and income diversification.

In Latin America, however, the focus will be on short-term relief and prevention measures. It is critical to ensure workers can continue their operations so that they can earn a living and benefit from existing contractual agreements with buyers around the world.

Project partners:

The key project partners include:

Fairtrade International (consortium lead)

The Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Small Producers and Workers (CLAC)

Fairtrade Africa

Fairtrade Network of Asia & Pacific Producers

Fairtrade Deutschland

Key documents and reports

Fairtrade Producer Relief Fund - Video

Fairtrade Producer Networks talk about Covid-19 Support Funds - Video

For more information contact partnerships@fairtrade.net