Fairtrade strives for living incomes
A living income is a human right. But unfortunately, many farmers across the world do not earn enough to afford a decent standard of living. At Fairtrade we focus on changing this.
A living income is defined as sufficient income to afford a decent standard of living for all household members – including a nutritious diet, clean water, decent housing, education, health care and other essential needs, plus a little extra for emergencies and savings.
Just being Fairtrade certified doesn’t guarantee that farmers will earn a living income – it depends on multiple factors, and on everyone playing their part, from farmers, to cooperatives, to businesses, governments, and shoppers.
This is why our Living Income Strategy outlines what needs to be done beyond business as usual and identifies key responsibilities to make this happen. Fairtrade is committed to discover what really works to improve farmers’ incomes and to sharing what we learn along the way.
How Fairtrade addresses living incomes
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Strong standards
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Fairer pricing
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Value addition
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Producer support programmes
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Market access
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Collaboration
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Research and data
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Advocacy and policy change
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Consumer awareness
What does it cost to enable living incomes?
We have developed a holistic price discovery model for establishing reference prices for living incomes. A Living Income Reference Price indicates the farmgate price needed for a typical farmer household with a viable crop area and a sustainable productivity level to earn a living income from the sales of their crop. Our interactive tool is designed to help companies find out what prices they need to pay to enable living incomes in their supply chains.
Explore the reference price tool
Choose Fairtrade today
The ability to earn a decent living offers the next generation of farmers and workers a sustainable future. It will require everyone playing their part – including shoppers choosing to stand up for farmer and worker livelihoods.