what does climate change have to do with your cuppa?
Carbon emissions from developed countries like the UK are already affecting the climate in regions where our grower partners farm. From floods and hurricanes in Latin America, to droughts in East Africa, our growers represent the populations that are most vulnerable to climate change.
While there is at last a lot of resource going into reducing emissions, there is not enough going towards adapting to the changes that are already occurring as a result of climate change. In partnership with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and several of our grower partners, we have initiated a pioneering three-year plan to identify concrete adaptation measures as well as sustainable ways to fund them.
Willington Wamayeye,
Managing Director of the Gumutindo coffee co-operative in Uganda
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“I have lived near Mt. Elgon all my life and I have never known the weather to be so unpredictable.
Rains now fall heavily for a short period of time and our dry season has got much longer. So while heavy rains are causing landslides because the ground cannot handle the downpours, key water sources for our community – like streams – are drying up.
This is causing big problems for growers. Last year alone we lost about 40% of our coffee production because of climate change.”
Andrew Kobia Ethuru
Tea farmer and Chairman of the Fairtrade Premium Committee, Michimikuru Tea Factory, Kenya
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"The rains are now erratic, the season cycles are changing – cycles that we rely on for food and to earn a decent living. Freak storms are wrecking havoc; severe winds have destroyed homes, buildings, and crops. On my farm I have had tea bushes burnt by lightening – in 30 years of farming I have never seen this happen. Rising temperatures also means we have malaria in regions that have never suffered from it before.
To survive we need resources and support. That’s why our partnership with Cafédirect is so important. No one else wanted to help us, but now together we are fighting the challenges we face… In this world we are all connected to one another. Climate change is a global problem, so we must work together to fight it.”