With a value of $150 billion (USD), the global chocolate market is undeniably huge. It is estimated there are currently 50 million people worldwide who depend on the sector for their livelihoods.

However, for many cocoa farmers and their families (predominantly in West Africa), they face a lifetime of living below the poverty line. They can’t provide the basics for their family, face grueling conditions and devastatingly – there is little they can offer their children when it comes to education or opportunity.

And the bigger picture is this: generational extreme poverty breeds child labour, gender inequality and deforestation as well. None of which is an attractive proposition for those who would be the next generation of cocoa farmers. If these issues continue, the future of cocoa production is under serious threat.

We know, it’s pretty tough to digest all this. But there is a solution, one that has been working for more than twenty five years – and that’s buying Fairtrade chocolate.

The Fairtrade Mark on your chocolate purchase means Fairtrade has helped farmers get a secure, stable price that protects them from market crashes, it’s called the Fairtrade Minimum Price. Beyond this, we provide the Fairtrade Premium, which is an extra payment on top of the minimum price. This provides farmers in disadvantaged communities with the funds to send their children to school, and grow their business, or to address other appropriate needs, such as investments in solar energy or building a health clinic. So far, Fairtrade chocolate has generated millions of dollars for farmers in West Africa and Latin America. Sweet huh!

But there is still much to do. Just 10 percent of the world’s cocoa is sold on Fairtrade terms, we need all you chocolate lovers out there to understand the power you have as consumers. So go on, get stuck into some Fairtrade chocolate!