Fairtrade Foundation’s online Fairtrade Fortnight Festival really underlined the message that what we do at home affects people all round the world – and that’s not just in our buying choices. In 2017, the UK’s per capita carbon emissions were over 20 x higher than those of Kenya or Ghana. And yet, it is farmers in the Global South who are suffering the worst consequences of climate change, and have the least resources to adapt or mitigate. As a result, production costs are increasing, whilst yields are declining, pushing more people into poverty.

This inspired some of our group to try out simple changes at home to make a positive difference, including: starting to grow herbs, peppers and tomatoes on their windowsills instead of relying on the supermarket; ordering an organic veg box from a local farm (see Ten Mile Menu) and opening up an account with Shared Interest, an ethical investment company that lends money to fair trade producers.

During the Fortnight, we discovered the web site www.52climateactions.com. Why not take a look and see if you’re inspired to make some simple changes that will benefit us all?