Social and Economic Benefits

• Increased Income
  Fairtrade guarantees farmers a better price for their cotton. This means they are more able to support their families and invest in their farms. Housing can be improved, children can stay in school, and farmers can choose to stay on their land instead of being forced to migrate to cities.

• Community development
  The Fairtrade price includes a premium that is set aside to invest in social and environmental projects. This ensures that communities have the ability to fund long-term improvement. Elected farmer committees decide democratically how these premiums are spent. In India, farmers have agreed to spend the premium on health insurance, water conservation and income generating schemes.

• Strength in togetherness
  Fairtrade certification requires farmers to organize themselves into associations or co-operatives. This leads to the pooling of resources and puts them in a stronger position when selling their cotton

Environmental Benefits

• Responsible Farming
  The pressure to increase yields by using more chemicals in conventional cotton farming threatens human health and environmental sustainability. Fairtrade farmers are committed to reduce chemical use and protecting the environment.

• Reducing impact
  Fairtrade cotton farmers reduce and replace conventional pesticides and fertilizers with natural alternatives. Many can then co one step further and convert to organic production

• Non GM Cotton
  Fairtrade standards prohibit the use of genetically modified cotton seed.

• Crop diversification
  Farmers introduce other crops into rotation patterns, diversifying income and improving soil fertility.

In 2005, the Fairtrade system benefited approximately 1 million workers and farmers in 58 developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Including their dependents, 5 million people were benefited.