Melanie Fryer
Skipton has been a Fair Trade town since July 2014 and I want Settle to receive the same status. The ACE Food group will be looking at how this could be supported. The idea behind Fair Trade means the farmers and producers receive a fair price with a direct partnership between buyers and producers, farmers and their families have a reliable way to improve their livelihood.
Fair Trade products reflect the people and cultures they come from.
Fair Trade promotes healthy systems that improve soil fertility and preserves valuable ecosystems.
The climate emergency is already hitting them hard, even though they did the least to cause it. Crops are failing, extreme weather is more frequently ruining harvests and plant diseases caused by the changing climate are ever more common.
The Coronavirus pandemic poses a big threat to these rural communities around the world too. Often with limited health care services, farmers and workers also face a highly uncertain future and collapsing markets.
Fairtrade is one way to make a difference, through choosing products with the FAIRTRADE Mark every time you shop.
Now is the time to choose a fair trade Easter Egg – it puts more money in the hands of cocoa farmers. These farmers should, at least, earn enough for essential medicinal care, decent food and education for their families.
Cocoa farmers are also on the front of the climate crisis, with cocoa especially vulnerable to climate change.
More about Skipton and Fairtrade at: https://www.cravendec.org.uk/fairtrade.html
Melanie Fryer heads up ACE’s Food Group – more at: http://acesettleandarea.org/food/
