Fairtrade Position Paper on COP 30
Fairtrade Cooperatives: A Strategic Model for Tackling Climate Challenges
There are about 2.5 million agricultural cooperatives operating in the
world under associative models that promote equity, participatory
democracy, and sustainable development. These organisations are an
essential tool for the economic and social strengthening of rural
communities, contributing directly to local and national economies.
By declaring 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives, the United Nations (UN) highlighted the strategic value of this model in addressing structural challenges, such as poverty, social exclusion, and environmental sustainability. In this context, Fairtrade agricultural cooperatives are a concrete example of how solidarity economies can generate well-being, inclusion, and resilience.
One of the most urgent challenges we face is climate change, whose
impacts are already evident on small and medium-scale family farming.
Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and more frequent
extreme weather events are reducing production levels, hindering
access to vital resources, such as water, and in many cases forcing
producers to abandon their traditional ways.