Valerie Nelson - Fairtrade Impacts

This book is a welcome addition to the growing empirical literature on the real impact of Fairtrade on rural producers, traders and farm workers in different agro-food sectors. Valerie Nelson did a remarkable job in bringing together perspectives on social justice, gender empowerment, environment and civic organization that enable a balanced appraisal of the ongoing efforts towards the renewal of Fairtrade.

This book avoids the elusive quest for attribution of impact to a non-existent generic fair trade. It argues instead for a balance between rigour and usefulness in impact studies, showing the way forward with resourceful and instructive country case-studies about context-specific impact processes.

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Practical Action Publishing, 2017

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ISBN 978-1-85339-906-0 Hardback

ISBN 978-1-85339-907-7 Paperback

ISBN 978-1-78044-906-7 Library PDF

ISBN 978-1-78044-907-4 eBook

Citation: Nelson, V. (ed.) (2017) Fairtrade Impacts: Lessons from around the world Rugby, UK: Practical Action Publishing

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The views and opinions in this publication are those of the author and do not represent those of Practical Action Publishing Ltd or its parent charity Practical Action. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the authors and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or for the consequences of their use.

Cover photo: Tea picker, Kenya. Credit: Shared Interest. License Creative Commons, CC-BY-2.0

Printed in the United Kingdom

Valerie Nelson is Principal Scientist, Social Development Specialist and Reader in International Development at the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Greenwich, UK. She leads the Equitable Trade and Responsible Business Programme at the NRI.

This chapter introduces the concept of the Fairtrade movement as well as an introduction to the chapters that follow. It asks whether or not Fairtrade can revise its methods, addressing issues such as share of value and assurance to buyers. Each chapter ultimately concludes that it is important for Fairtrade to adapt to a more flexible approach and understand its limitations better; otherwise it is at risk of falling behind and giving way to new strategies of international companies.

Keywords: Fairtrade, expansion, cultural economy, conventional trade, decentralization, strategy revision

The fair trade movement combines the efforts of many different organizations with a shared aim of achieving more equitable trading partnerships between disadvantaged producers and mostly Western consumers. This book focuses on one strand of this movement commonly known as Fairtrade the product certification system operated by Fairtrade International. Fairtrade has expanded rapidly in recent years, particularly in certain products such as tea and cocoa, but there is still a way to go before sector coverage is achieved in many commodities. Recent developments, such as the decision by one major chocolate manufacturer to promote their own brand rather than Fairtrade, albeit continuing an informal collaboration with them, means that the position of Fairtrade is also not secured in international markets. Fairtrade is a pioneer amongst the voluntary sustainability standards with a consumer label and particularly high visibility in certain markets. Unsurprisingly it has attracted more attention than other market-based mechanisms, including other voluntary sustainability standards to date, although this is now beginning to change.

This collection of chapters emerges at a critical juncture for Fairtrade. Its market expansion has been accompanied by increased attention to its effectiveness and there is increased questioning of its impact and relevance in many quarters. The case studies and overview chapter on impact assessment draw on detailed empirical studies of Fairtrade around the world and practical experience of conducting impact studies. The case studies highlight the context specificity of Fairtrade outcomes and impacts, suggesting that broad generalizations about Fairtrade effectiveness are unwise. What is needed is in-depth understanding of the complex interplay of multi-scale factors which shape livelihoods and environmental change at the local level, and of the role that Fairtrade plays in this dynamic over a period of time.

The chapter authors cast a critical eye over the key factors and processes in each place which influence the implementation and uptake of Fairtrade by producer organizations and companies and the eventual outcomes. The overview raises questions about how best to understand the outcomes and impacts of Fairtrade in a way which minimizes bias and supports rigour, but which also pays attention to usefulness and learning. Taken collectively, these chapters ask pertinent questions about the efficacy of Fairtrade and also provide practical suggestions given as to how improvements might be achieved.