To celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight, the Estates Services, Museum of Natural History and the Oxford Partnership for Operationalising the Conservation Hierarchy (OxPOCH) are jointly hosting a showcase event to engage people on sustainable trading, climate resilience, regenerative farming and social justice. We’re hosting Mohammed Ruzzi from the Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA), which has turned to regenerative farming to build resilience to climate change, under the Fairtrade certification scheme. Mohammed produces food for Zaytoun, a social enterprise founded in 2004 to support Palestinian farmers through fair trade and to promote Palestine’s rich cultural and culinary heritage. Their range includes the world’s first Fairtrade organic olive oil, za’atar and rain-fed almonds as well as Great Taste award-winning dates.

The schedule for this multi-part event:

Part I: Short talk by Henry Grub – what is the Conservation Hierarchy and what does it have to do with Oxford?

Part II: Talk and Q&A with Mohammed Ruzzi – Fairtrade farming and climate resilience in Palestine

Part III: Panel Session – how do small-scale farmers deal with the climate, biodiversity and social crises?

Followed by Fairtrade drinks and snacks, including a showcase of Zaytoun products, in the museum’s main hall! (5.30-6.30pm)

Mohammed manages the farming schemes for the 51 cooperatives that work with the PFTA. He reports that more farmers in Palestine are turning to regenerative farming methods to improve soil health as well as reintroducing native seeds in order to build regional resilience to changing weather patterns. The PFTA also runs the Trees for Life programme, which distributes olive tree saplings to farmers. Olive trees are an intrinsic element of Palestinian identity, and they can come under threat from settler attacks and military activity. The Trees for Life programme aims to increase the number of olive trees in Palestine to support farming communities to continue to produce olive oil.

Fairtrade Fortnight runs from Monday 24 February to Sunday 8 March 2020 and will bring together thousands of individuals, companies and groups across the UK to hear the stories of the people who grow our food and drinks and who grow the cotton in our clothes, people who were all too often underpaid and exploited, and are now reaping the benefits of sustainable trade.

Venue for the talks is the museum’s Lecture Theatre on the first floor, please book a free ticket to secure a place! All are welcome.