Invitation to a presentation, discussion and light lunch:
On Wednesday 24th June (Ninth Week) a group of Adivasi tea farmers from the Nilgiri Hills and a rice farmer from the Karonga region of Malawi will be at St Michael’s at the North Gate, in the Cornmarket, from 13.00 -14.30. They are touring the UK to:

• highlight the challenges and opportunities facing smallholder farmers across the world
• look at new possibilities for smallholders farmers to strengthen their own organisations and build new links with fair trade groups and others in the Global North
• promote the new partnership between Just Change UK and JTS, the two organisations who work with them and market their products in the UK.
  You are warmly invited to attend and join in the discussion. There will be a light lunch.
  Issues:
• smallholder farmers make a vital contribution to feeding the world but are being badly hit by climate change and the effects of sustained neglect by the developed world
• smallholder farmers have the capacity to improve productivity, help their countries develop and meet growing global demand for food without causing irreparable damage to the world’s climate
• but so far the rich nations have done little to support smallholder farmers with training, investment, improving access to markets
  JTS and JCUK are two UK fair trade companies which have been
• providing access to UK and European markets for Indian and Malawi farmers
• working with the farmers to develop capacity and improve productivity
  They are now joining forces to do better together what they have been doing separately. In a series of meetings they will
• seek to mobilise their supporters and potential supporters to help the farmers access UK markets
• seek to establish further working relationship with other UK agencies in development, education and fair trade
• attempt to push the issues around smallholder farmers higher up the political agenda.