Fair Trade USA, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation Partner on AI Climate Data

Grant to fund development of AI-powered climate intelligence platform for farmers

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Fair Trade USA today announced a $600,000 grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) for Producer Intelligence Infrastructure for Ethical and Regenerative Supply Chains. Running from September 2026 through September 2027, the grant funds an AI-powered tool that helps farmers plan and invest using climate, market, and outcome information.

Producer organizations generate valuable environmental, social, and economic information, but it often sits fragmented across internal systems, is difficult to access, and rarely reaches producers in a form they can act on. The platform combines Fair Trade USA's certification records, audit findings, Community Development Fund investments, and open source climate data with producer submitted documents, images, voice recordings, and stories.

Generated through Fair Trade Certified™ purchases, Community Development Funds return money to producers for community-led investment. The system returns decision-grade insights like seasonal climate outlooks, market signals, agronomic guidance, outcomes, and prioritized actions for protecting producer landscapes and businesses, with delivery supported by Fair Trade's on-the-ground staff.

"For the last several years, we have been on a journey of democratizing data so that producers are best equipped to be the protagonists of change that will secure supply chains for the years ahead and enhance production and income in the present. This grant allows us to build the tools that will unlock that vision and equip farmers with the insights they need to build their best future," said Felipe Arango, CEO of Fair Trade USA.

Combining PJMF's capacity-building resources with Fair Trade USA's verified supply-chain datasets, infrastructure, the new tool will build on the Nature Intelligence Dashboard, a previous project implemented with Colombian coffee farmers in 2026. Supported by Fair Trade USA's on-the-ground Producer Services team, that dashboard translated open source soil, crop, and biodiversity data into guidance and action plans. Producers will co-design the tool via workshops and follow-up visits with coffee, cocoa, and banana producer leaders in Peru, Côte d'Ivoire, and Colombia.

Fair Trade USA will formalize guidelines for producer data ownership and consent, covering how data is collected, stored, and shared. The principle behind the tool is that a cooperative's own nature, market, and outcome data should serve the producer first. We will share the tools among producers, exporters, and buyers at the World of Coffee and Fair Trade's Impact Fair in April 2027. A self-guided module on the Fair Trade Academy, Fair Trade USA's global training platform, will support wider use.

By September 2027, Fair Trade USA aims to reach at least 10 cooperatives across coffee, cocoa, and bananas in three origins and multiple languages, with a broader reach of 3,000 farmers. The tool gathers producer feedback on usability and action planning and tracks cooperatives' Community Development Fund dollars against actions, laying the groundwork for resilience investments as use grows.

"Farmers are making high-stakes decisions as climate conditions and markets shift, but they do not always have access to the same information as the buyers they sell to. Fair Trade USA's tool gives cooperatives clearer access to their own climate, market, and outcomes data, so they can decide where to invest and how to strengthen their resilience. That is a practical example of technology built by and with the people who will use it." — Vilas Dhar, President, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation

Fair Trade USA sees this work as public-interest infrastructure, a model others can adapt and replicate. It supports a phased path toward the 1.2 million producer partners that Fair Trade USA works with in 52 countries.

About Fair Trade USA
Fair Trade USA™, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the leading certifier of Fair Trade products in North America. Offering award-winning, rigorous, and globally recognized sustainable sourcing certification programs that improve livelihoods, protect the environment, and build resilient, transparent supply chains, its trusted Fair Trade Certified™ label on a product signifies that it was made according to stringent fair trade standards. Fair Trade USA is building an innovative model of responsible business, conscious consumerism, and shared value to eliminate poverty and enable sustainable development for farmers, workers, their families, and communities around the world.

About the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) is a philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence and data science solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. PJMF works in partnership with public, private and social institutions to drive progress on our most pressing challenges, including digital health, climate change, broad digital access, and data maturity in the social sector.

Contact
Fair Trade USA Public Relations 
[email protected]

SOURCE Fair Trade USA(TM)