Fair Trade and Organic Agriculture: A Winning Combination?

Organic and fair-trade certified commodities catering for niche markets are growing rapidly and offer potential benefits for small-scale farmers and the society at large. It is vital to assess if it is technically and economically feasible to meet the growing consumer demands of food safety, quality, and ethics, especially by smallholder and marginal producers. Organic and fair-trade certified commodities are predominantly produced in the developing countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America to cater to the environmentally and socially conscious consumers in Europe and North America. Thus these systems reflect an interdependence between the developed and the developing nations in promoting eco-friendly and sustainable development, an aspect this book considers in depth. The potential of applying both systems in combination for small-scale farmers in developing countries and the willingness of consumers to pay more for a product that is both organic and fair-trade certified are explored through case studies.