FairWild Foundation launches special appeal to support sustainable wild harvest
Zurich, Switzerland – December 2022
Across our planet, natural landscapes continue to be degraded by unsustainable practices, impacted by changing climate or converted to alternative uses that reduce habitat for wild plants. The FairWild Standard and certification scheme is an effective measure to reverse this trend by providing a tangible market value to the sustainable harvesting of unique ingredients.
The FairWild community – from the harvesters to the producers to the traders to the consumers – is a game-changing voluntary movement for people and the planet. However, these are challenging times, and our efforts must be scaled up to achieve greater impact.
The FairWild Foundation has hence launched a special appeal to raise resources for two initiatives aimed to maximise benefits for biodiversity and livelihoods of wild harvesters:
The first major revision of the FairWild Standard and certification system since 2010; and
Establishment and capitalisation of the FairWild Operators Support Fund.
“We must make our Standard and certification system accessible and cost effective, while remaining rigorous and robust, so that we can grow the supply of certified products. Landscapes, harvesters, and everyone in our sector will benefit from an upgraded Standard with modernised approaches to delivering assurance to stakeholders and positive impacts on livelihoods and landscapes.”
Deborah Vorhies - CEO of FairWild Foundation
Revision of the FairWild Standard will begin in 2023 and will be based on principles of multi-stakeholder engagement as outlined in the FairWild Standard Revision and Development Procedure.
In parallel with financing the revision process, the appeal will enhance the ability of the FairWild Foundation to assist collector organisations – many of whom are small business operating in vulnerable conditions. The FairWild Operators Support Fund has been established to strengthen resilience among harvesters and collector organisations – providing support to these organisations and, in so doing, increasing the delivery of certified products to global value chains.
FairWild Foundation has thus sent an appeal to stakeholders, friends and supporters of the Standard to ask for their financial contributions to these two urgent and interconnected projects.
Vorhies said, “We are now asking you to join us in upgrading and streamlining the FairWild Standard and certification system and in supporting collector organisations to deliver certified products. Our request is urgent. If we are to have the impact on landscapes, livelihoods, and value chains that we all desire, we need to move forward and scale up now.”
Initial contributions have already been pledged from existing Friends of FairWild, and it is hoped that the wild plants industry will respond broadly to the call to support these urgent funding needs – as well as committing to direct engagement with the upgrading of the FairWild Standard and certification system and the roll out of Operators Support Fund in 2023. Threats are increasing, and it must be ensured that the common efforts of the Foundation and its stakeholders will gather pace and scope - to realise the vision we all share.
To provide financial support in response to this appeal, please email Deborah Vorhies or donate through Paypal.
Further information on the Standard Revision and Operators Support Fund is available in the factsheets: 1 & 2.