Marks and Spencer is at the forefront of fairtrade and ethical issues in the high street retail chain market.  With their plan A and ongoing relationship with the Fairtrade Association, Marks and Spencer is comitted to providing its customers with a wider range of fairtrade products as well as supporting the farmers in poorer countries.

The fairtrade organisation will make more products available but currently fresh beans (runner, french, fine and extra fine beans) and fresh peas (mange tout/snow peas, sugar snap and garden peas) grown in Africa are included within the standard. Most Fairtrade vegetables for sale in the UK will initially come from Kenya.

With more products being available for the eco-conscious consumers, the bigger the sales volume.  It is estimated that in 2009, the fairtrade market grew by 12%, making the market worth 800million GBP per year.

Fairtrade support local farmers bring their products to market.  Growers in African countries face several challenges ranging from fluctuation prices, quality and certification, water availability, access to credit and so on.

One of the producers, Stephen Kairu, is a member of Mwamba outgrowers, a group of 10 farmers from the Mweiga group formed in March 2008. He lives with his wife Mercy Nyambura, and two daughters as well as his mother and sister and her two children.  Stephen says the farmers’ main problems are caused by their production being affected by unfavourable weather and changes in consumer demand that make their markets unstable, create insecurity and make their incomes unpredictable. He says: ‘If there were no financial difficulties we would spend money on development and we would be trying to develop the community around here.’

Fairtrade will offer marginalised producers access to a fair price and the additional Fairtrade premium to invest in their communities  and support the more sustainable farming practices to reduce impact on the environment and water resources. In Kenya alone, an estimated 800 Small Producer Organisations grow vegetables, of which approximately 60% would be able to supply the European market.  Fairtrade standards directly address their challenges and provide better trading conditions for producers, through the Fairtrade minimum price and premium.

For Stephen Kairu, Fairtrade means that he has a chance to pursue his dream of owning a farm and to provide the best education he can to his children, so taht they can themsleves pursue their dreams.