In South Africa’s evolving agricultural landscape, Fairtrade certification offers small-scale and new-era farmers an opportunity to access new markets and enhance worker conditions. In a recent episode of Farmer’s Inside Track, Sandra Ndlovu, regional communication officer for Southern Africa at Fairtrade Africa, shares insights on the benefits and challenges of Fairtrade certification.
Ndlovu highlights the immense value that Fairtrade certification brings to small-scale farmers, especially those just beginning to commercialise their operations. She explains that certification not only opens new market opportunities but also provides training and support to improve business systems, helping farmers develop sustainable practices.
“We also look at [the] development of the small producer organisation, because a lot of the time it is family-run and family-owned, and they don’t have systems in place in order to get to the next level,” she explains.
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The future of agriculture
However, obtaining Fairtrade certification is not without its barriers. Ndlovu mentions that the lack of standards for certain products and the cost of certification present significant challenges for small-scale farmers in South Africa.
“In all honesty, it is not so cheap for small-scale producers to get certified, which is something that we are looking at within Fairtrade.”
Ndlovu also discusses the need for greater awareness of Fairtrade in South Africa, where its footprint remains limited compared to other parts of Africa. She emphasises the importance of educating farmers about the benefits of certification and encouraging them to see its long-term value, particularly as it enhances worker conditions, environmental sustainability, and market access.
“Fairtrade certification is the future. I wish that more producers would come into the system so that we can all benefit and all work together.”
In this episode, Ndlovu also discusses:
- Success stories and the impact it has on the lives of ordinary people;
- How she sees Fairtrade certification changing the face of agriculture in South Africa and more.
Dive deeper into the episode and gain insights from the award-winning Farmer’s Inside Track, officially recognised as Africa and the world’s best podcast at the 2024 Digital Media Awards presented by WAN-IFRA, the global press organisation.
Option 1: Click here to listen on Spotify (all mobile and other devices)
Option 2: Click here to listen on any Apple device
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