Fair Trade and Organic Agriculture

Fair Trade and Organic Agriculture
A Winning Combination?

Author: P. Parvathi, U. Grote, Hermann Waibel
ISBN: 9781786393050
Pages: 208
Format: 17 X 25
Binding: Hardback
Pub. Year: 2017


The markets for organic and fair trade certified commodities are growing rapidly, with environmentally sound and more equitable certification systems likely to offer benefits for both small-scale farmers and society at large. Despite much debate about their contribution to sustainability, there has been little scientific analysis, so it is vital to assess if it is technically and economically feasible to meet growing consumer demands regarding food safety, quality and ethics through smallholder and marginal producers. Overall, there is a need to explore the potential of these certification systems as emerging areas in research and development cooperation.

This book includes:
- Worldwide case studies (from the supply side in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; and from the demand side in Europe and North America) to put theory into practice.
- Analyses of sustainable development and poverty reduction through organic and fair trade markets.
- Insights into the conditions where it is beneficial for developing country smallholder producers to adopt fair trade and organic certification systems.
- Investigation into whether consumers will pay more for a product that is both organic and fair trade certified.

This book is an important read for researchers and students in agricultural and development economics, and it is also a useful resource for policy makers and practitioners involved in organic and fair trade agriculture.

Table of Contents

1: An Overview of Organic Agriculture and Fair Trade Systems
2: Organic and Fair Trade Markets at a Glance
3: Organic and Fair Trade Production Worldwide
4: Evolution of Producer Organizations in Fair Trade Coffee Certification
5: Methodological Toolbox
6: Consumer Behaviour in the Organic and Fair Trade Food Market in Europe
7: Multiple Certifications and Consumer Purchase Decisions: a Case Study of Willingness to Pay for Coffee in Germany
8: Consumers’ Information Search and Preferences for Fair Trade Coffee: a Case Study from Germany
9: Gender-equality Chocolate: a Missing Market?
10: Fair Trade Certification on Plantations: Household Wealth and Welfare Implications for Hired Labour
11: Assessing the Benefits of Organic and Fair Trade Production for Small-scale Farmers in Asia
12: The Impact of Certification on Material Input Costs in India
13: Dovetailing Fair Trade and Organic Agro-certifications in Latin America: How the Twins Can Meet?
14: Certifying Coffee Cooperatives in Ethiopia, India and Nicaragua: How Far Do Small-scale Coffee Producers Benefit?
15: The Relevance of Reliability, Reputation and Respect for Producer-level Benefits of Organic and Fair Trade Certification for Smallholders
16: The Way Forward