Across global agricultural supply chains, millions of people earn their livelihoods as hired farm workers, often in conditions where basic labor protections cannot be taken for granted. In some countries, minimum wages, freedom of association, and workplace safety protections are limited. Even where these rights and protections exist, the temporary and seasonal nature of agricultural work can make it difficult for farmworkers to advocate for their rights. 

Hired labor is particularly important for products like flowers, bananas and other fresh fruits where production is often organized on larger farms that employ both permanent and seasonal workforces.

Fairtrade supports nearly 200,000 farmworkers globally across flowers, bananas, tea, and other value chains. Everyone deserves a safe and fair workplace, a voice in shaping the conditions under which they work, and to be paid fairly for the value of their labor. Through our Hired Labor Standard, Fairtrade supports fairer distribution of economic benefits by requiring that workers on certified farms have access to fairer wages, leave, social security, occupational health and safety, and formal contracts. Fairtrade works with existing trade unions to support workers in exercising these rights rather than duplicating efforts. 

Evidence shows that Fairtrade’s Standards are making a difference. In a meta-analysis of 120 independent studies on Fairtrade’s impact, nearly two-thirds of studies showed that workers in Fairtrade certified organizations were more likely to benefit from fairer contracts, stronger health and safety protections, improved labor rights and consistent working hours. 

In 2025, Fairtrade also published mandatory wage floors for certified hired labor organizations that produce flowers and fresh fruit and updated Fairtrade Base Wages for those growing bananas, but we aren’t stopping there. Fairtrade has been working toward living wages for farmworkers for more than a decade, investing in living wage benchmarks and gathering evidence to understand the gap between existing wages and what workers actually need to live with dignity. Closing that gap cannot be achieved by farms alone – it requires retailers and brands to invest in their sourcing partners’ resilience and growth and consumers to recognize how their shopping choices affect wages further down the supply chain. 

In addition to the Hired Labor Standard and work on living wages, Fairtrade supports farmworkers through our various programs and projects. In Kenya, Fairtrade supports women flower farmers through the BENGO project, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Women hold approximately 70% of jobs in Kenya’s flower sector, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in leadership and face heightened risks of sexual harassment and gender-based violence. Through the project, Fairtrade is taking a gender-transformative approach that combines the Women’s School of Leadership – which engages both women and men to address harmful gender norms – with implementation of stronger workplace grievance systems and psychosocial support for workers.  The BENGO project also supports flower farms to operationalize action plans and formalize grievance mechanisms, so women affected by gender-based violence have access to the support they need, while strengthening women’s participation in workplace decision-making and addressing the structural conditions that allow gender inequality to persist.