Fairtrade is enabling farmers to build their way to a better life, but shoppers still need to know more about who produces their food

For most retailers and consumers in the UK, Fairtrade is a logo on the side of a package. But it guarantees longer trading agreements, no child labour, a democratic structure to ensure fairness and that a people are given a say in their future - which many consumers aren't aware of. It also ensures a fairer deal for the harvest the farmer grows, and additional funds to be spent on the community - on fresh water, education or homes that don't flood when it rains.

I have been told that when Fairtrade started in the UK about 15 years ago, even less was known about the system. Throughout retail, people didn't think about who had grown the produce they were marketing and purchasing.

Now the movement has progressed so far that Fairtrade is enabling our products to be sold and our voices to be heard. It is a way of supporting our people, which is not about charity but about enabling us to work with dignity and build our way to a better life.

As the motto of the National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (NASFAM) states: "The future belongs to the organised." We have pride in our work, knowing that a fairer price will be paid. Fairtrade also helps us develop efficient practices in the way we supply our products. We are constantly seeking to improve our farming techniques to meet the standards required in the UK and we strive to improve our own communities using the Fairtrade premium.

NASFAM members are also co-owners of the latest Fairtrade company, Liberation Foods CIC - the first Fairtrade nut company. We are represented on the board, at annual shareholders' meetings and at meetings with nut farmers and gatherers from other countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We are involved with the Liberation snack range, which contains our nuts. This gives us a sense of pride and importance and a real say in what happens to our crop. We are careful to provide the best quality to ensure our company succeeds and we will also share in profits this year.

This close relationship with the UK market is important. It means we are aware of who sells most of our products, who our core consumers are and what they all expect from us. This makes us work harder to build a brighter future for all.

I work with 100,000 smallholder farmers in Malawi - some of the poorest people in a very poor country. It is a pleasure to travel to the UK to build a market for the produce we export, to obtain the best prices and forge closer relationships with businesses.

But then I travel back to a different world - a world largely of the disempowered. My experience of both hemispheres puts me in a good position to question why all trade is not fair and why there is so much inhumanity still in the way we do business.

It makes me want to ask how much shoppers consider the welfare of the people who produce the food and clothing they buy. Suppliers and consumers are demanding that food is safer. If items seem incredibly cheap, what does this say about the farmer who grew the crop it came from?

I have travelled to the UK to talk to customers and consumers to communicate how passionate Liberation is about supplying them with the best products. In return we ask for a fair price and to be treated with respect. In an unequal world, companies such as Liberation help us to achieve this.n

Dyborn Chibonga is the CEO of NSFAM, the National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi