BAFTS members work with artisans from marginalised communities in around 30 different countries around the world. While we have seen floods and storms in Europe, the impact of climate change is greatest on countries without the infrastructure and social support mechanisms to help people mitigate and deal with the problems caused. The crisis was largely caused by our Western lifestyles, burning fossil fuels and wasting precious resources, yet the people who have done the least to cause it are the worst impacted.
Fair trade suppliers work directly with people whose lives and livelihoods have been affected. We are collating some of the stories our members have been told in recent years including the following videos made by people who work with our members
Howard Msukwa works as a rice farmer in Malawi. In this video he discusses the impact of the cycle of drought and flood caused by climate change on farmers in Malawi
Rita Karki works for Get Paper in Nepal. In this video she talks about the impact of increased and unpredictable rainfall caused by climate change on the traditional paper making process
Karma Gear works with tailors in Nepal and Ellie had this to say:
Nepal has also had horrendous flooding, as well as drought earlier in the year, also used to have frequent scheduled power cuts “load shedding”
Just Trade works with jewellery makers in Peru, Ecuador, Indonesia and India.
Laura shared this story: The climate crisis is having a massive impact in Ecuador. There is the worst drought in 60 years and much electricity is from hydro electric power stations. The government is rationing electricity until March 25 with power cuts for up to 14 hours a day. The artisans are struggling to coordinate with each other as they live in different parts of the country who are affected at different times of day and night. We were sent a news report which was in Spanish and translates as: ‘The President and all members of the Government understand the situation that Ecuadorians are going through. We recognise the effort and sacrifice you are all making in the face of this serious electricity crisis. Managing this crisis has two parts, firstly the major short-term measures due to the extreme and unpredictable climate. Meanwhile, we are working on the recovery of our energy generating infrastructure and the purchase of new facilities. We are facing an unprecedented and ever-changing crisis, which is forcing us to adapt. This is why we have taken the painful but responsible decision to modify the rationing plan, increasing it from 8 to 14 hours a day, which will be re-evaluated on Sunday. We have taken this tough decision based on the difficult weather situation. All of South America is facing an unprecedented drought and Ecuador is no exception. Several countries have power cuts and we have all been astonished at the images of a dry Amazon river. The main problem is the extraordinarily low volume of water flowing into the dams, such as Mazar and Coca Codo Sinclair. We understand the inconvenience this announcement may cause to your personal life and the effects it will have on your professional life. But at the same time, it is important for you to know that the decision has been taken in a transparent and responsible way for our country at this time.’
Luna Tree Jewellery has been working with artisans in Northern Thailand for many years. Clare shared this story:
Northern Thailand has had some of the worst floods recently. Deforestation and climate change is definitely taking its toll here too. A lady I buy small textiles from for my festival stalls had her home flooded, while others have been unaffected. The silversmiths have all been fine but the elephant sanctuary I donate to had to move all their animals and unfortunately they lost two elephants during the flood.
Daughters of the Ganges work with jewellers in India. Dimpy says: Delhi has had unusually high amount rain and extreme heat. It affected the artisans as they were unable to work on metal due to the heat, followed by the flooding!
Where does it come from? works with Moral Fibre Fabrics in Gujarat. Shailini Sheth Amin says:
Yes, cotton farmers in India are impacted by climate change in 2024 in the following ways:
Crop damage – 41% of Indian smallholders say the biggest near-term challenge is the threat of crop damage
Rainfall changes – 85% of farmers in eastern Uttar Pradesh believe that rainfall has changed, and 95% believe that the intensity of rainfall has increased significantly that has damaged crops.
The ongoing wars, mainly involving the West for more than a year and the increased Co2 emissions create a big concern for further climate change effects and they feel very worried and totally helpless.
Climate change is an existential threat to small and tribal farmers, disrupting livelihoods and hopes for the future – Aneel Kumar Ambavaram who runs Raddis Cotton/GVK Society in Andhra Pradesh, India. They work with tribal cotton farmers to grow regenerative cotton.
Lanka Kade has been working with toy makers in Sri Lanka for thirty years. Diane says: There’s so much rain, the products don’t dry. We also have ridiculously high temperatures, power cuts, and of course political chaos. But climates have sadly changed and are so unpredictable.
Divine and other Fairtrade chocolate makers buy cocoa from farmers in Ghana who rely on the rainy season happening as expected in April, May and June while the pods are ripening, and the dry season in September and October for fermenting and drying the beans. Last year it rained from February to December, meaning cocoa yields (and therefore farmer incomes) were down by 25%. If you have noticed chocolate is more expensive now, this is why.
Fair trade enterprises are working directly with some of the people at the heart of the climate crisis and will continue to bring much needed income and support for mitigations. By continuing to buy fair trade products you are helping bring a glimmer of hope to people whose livelihoods are precarious.
Do you have a story of climate change happening right now? Share your story in the comments.