Fairtrade has grown rapidly in South Africa in the past two years. 

A key event in this process was the Fairtrade Fresh Fruit and Empowerment Consultation Forum which was held in Grabouw in the Western Cape in May 2004.  The report of this meeting can be downloaded from the link below.

Consultation Forum Report 2004

The document below clarifies the intended interpretation of empowerment in South Africa and discusses some examples of empowerment projects in commercial agriculture

 Empowerment Options

South African stakeholders have expressed the need for a national Fairtrade platform in South Africa.  The establishment of such an initiative is the main objective of the Fairtrade South Africa stakeholder meeting in May 2005.  The briefing document to the development of Fairtrade South Africa and the draft trust document for the proposed organization can be downloaded below.

Briefing Document to Fairtrade South Africa