Working with farmers to respond to the climate crisis: 5 key learnings for climate mitigation and adaptation programmes in supply chains
“There has been of late long dry spells which have affected my coffee farm, hence I have been using a lot of money to buy inputs,” Naftery Kinyua, a coffee farmer from Kenya told us. Naftery’s coffee farm belongs to the Mutira coffee cooperative in Kirinyaga county, just south of Mount Kenya, where changing climates are impacting production and, ultimately, livelihoods.
Millions of farming families and their communities like Naftery’s are on the frontline of a climate crisis they have done very little to cause. Hurricanes, droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events affect crops and, in some cases, wipe out a farmer’s only source of income. Yet most can’t afford to make the necessary changes to their production methods to adapt to climate change and prepare for the future.
At Fairtrade we recognise that climate sustainability involving smallholders cannot just focus on removing, reducing, and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. It must also prioritise improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and workers, and their resilience to the changing climate.
We recently carried out a study titled Carbon footprints and mitigation opportunities in Fairtrade supply chains. Through this paper we identified five key takeaways that we think are helpful for any business looking to reduce their scope 3 emissions (the indirect emissions created in a value chain) while prioritising producer livelihoods.
These takeaways have informed the climate programmes that accompany Fairtrade’s minimum price, Premium payment, and standards, and helped us develop a practical approach to climate adaptation in the context of smallholder farmer livelihoods.
1. There are a wide range of opportunities and strategies to reduce emissions and remove carbon in Fairtrade-certified supply chains.
While the exact mitigation potential of each strategy varies by commodity and country context, we found the following to have a high mitigation potential:
- Sequestering carbon in soils
- Sequestering carbon in trees on farmland
- Reducing deforestation caused by converting forest to land for crops
- Reducing nitrogen fertiliser application
- Switching to renewable energy sources and/or increasing energy efficiency
As well as mitigating climate change, these strategies can:
- Support corporate insetting initiatives within supply chains by reducing scope 3 emissions.
- Generate carbon credits, which can be sold on voluntary carbon markets and create new sources of income for farmers.
- Achieve broader impacts for farmers, workers and the environment, whether agronomic, economic, environmental or social. These impacts can be both positive and negative.
As Daniel Wallura Kiell – another farmer from Mutira coffee cooperative – explained, there are multiple benefits to learning skills which support climate adaptation: “Good canopy management has helped so much, since I also use the training skills of pruning on other farmers’ farms and have increased my income… I’ll use the information to train other farmers on sustainable agriculture.”
2. Mitigation programmes should not just be carbon-focused. They must deliver multiple benefits for farmers, workers and their communities.
Implementing mitigation strategies takes time, effort, and financial investment at farm-level. Farmers need to be able to see clear and multiple benefits if they are to commit to this transition.
3. Farmers must drive decision-making.
Businesses, farmers, and Fairtrade must all work collaboratively to select the mitigation strategies to implement. But farmers must play a key role in weighing potential benefits against potential negative impacts.
4. Smallholder farmers need support to implement mitigation strategies successfully.
Farmers need to have the necessary technical knowledge and practical skills to successfully implement mitigation strategies. There is often a need for expert-led training which takes into account the farmers’ invaluable local and context-specific knowledge.
In Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda, the Fairtrade Alliance for Climate-Smart Supply Chains in Africa (FACSCA) has supported coffee, tea and flower producers, including Naftery and Daniel, to be more resilient and able to adapt to climate change. One key intervention was the set-up of two farmer learning hubs and tree nurseries, to enable demonstration learning. These learning hubs include an e-library and (solar-powered) call centre run by trained agronomists with technical expertise and local knowledge, to provide farmers with support to implement adaptive measures.
5. Models for engaging farmers in carbon mitigation projects need to be effective, equitable, and linked to a sound business case.
When designing supply chain decarbonisation projects, there are potential risks, rewards, and investments for everyone involved. However, power dynamics, inequalities and lack of information can leave smallholder farmers vulnerable to exploitation. Incentives need to be offered to everyone involved, so all parties are committed throughout the process.
Another practical example is the Inclusive Energy Fund (IEF), which Fairtrade ran with coffee and tea producer organisations in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Producer organisations applied for funding through the IEF to launch their own initiatives to improve access to clean and green energy for members, meaning they were needs-led and context-specific.
The IEF ended up encompassing a diverse portfolio of projects ranging from the launch of a bakery powered by lava rock, to a solar-powered parabolic coffee drier. Having been designed by producers, these projects delivered multiple non-carbon and livelihood benefits, such as creating new income sources. We are now fundraising to launch the second round of the IEF.
Fairtrade is owned by a network of 1.9 million farmers, and it is our responsibility to support their need for adaptation while they face increasing commercial demands for mitigation. Using the five principles outlined, we have been able to develop a climate programming strategy that goes above and beyond carbon reductions and removals to achieve sustainable livelihoods for the farmers at the forefront of the climate crisis.
As Ndererimana Jean, a tea producer from Cooperative Assopthe in Rwanda told us, “the mitigation of climate change is a task of communities.”
This article is featured as part of our Climate Justice Series 2024, running over the next two weeks in parallel with the Climate COP in Baku. In addition to insightful articles and podcasts from our global community, we’re hosting an online Community Forum on 21 November (10 to 11.15 am EST / 3 to 4.15 pm GMT). Join us as we come together as a community to explore how businesses can put people at the heart of their climate action.
