Small-scale farmers and climate change. How can farmer organisations and Fairtrade build the capacity of smallholders?

As climate change impacts are increasingly felt by smallholder farmers, there is an urgent need to identify approaches that strengthen ongoing economic development efforts and enhance the adaptive capacity of farmers, their households and their communities. Through a review of the published literature and analysis of case studies of two Fairtrade-certified farmer organisations in Uganda and Malawi, this paper explores the links between farmer organisations, Fairtrade and adaptation to climate change, and the extent to which such institutions and market arrangements can enhance the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers.