Fairtrade America El Niño Recovery and Resilience Fund

The El Niño Recovery and Resilience Fund is a pooled grant fund dedicated to providing small grants to Fairtrade certified producer organizations dedicated to supporting long term recovery after El Niño-related climate disasters. 

When climate disasters occur, smallholder farmers are often hit hardest. Lost crops, damaged farms and infrastructure, disrupted markets, and reduced household income can undermine farmer livelihoods for months or even years as many smallholder farming communities have limited access to financing to support recovery. 

Forecasts from both the U.S. National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration  and the United Nations World Meteorological Organization predict "strong" to "very strong" El Niño conditions July-December of this year. El Niño and La Niña events are classified by their strength. “Strong” and “very strong” events are more likely to result in weather that affects agriculture and food production, like droughts, floods, heatwaves, and hurricanes.  

This El Niño is expected to be one of the largest on record. Like other El Niño events, weather impacts will vary from region to region. Disruptions to rainfall, temperatures, and storm patterns are expected, and will greatly impact smallholder farmers across Asia, Latin America, and Africa. 

By mobilizing funding ahead of the potential climate disasters, Fairtrade America can leverage our deep connection to rural communities and support smallholder farmers and workers in rebuilding their livelihoods.

Fairtrade America and our Founding Partner, Frontier Co-op, have committed $54,000 towards this Fund. We are calling on businesses, foundations, and other organizations to match our contributions and help us reach $100,000 by the end of 2026.