Fair Trade and Coffee in Third World Countries

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Fair trade is defined as “a movement whose goal is to help producers in developing countries to get a fair price for their products so as to reduce poverty, provide for the ethical treatment of workers and farmers, and promote environmentally sustainable practices” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2014). Whether or not we can ensure the fair trade of coffee in exchange for a good living brings up a lot of discussion and controversy in the trade and food industry. Many studies have been done to determine how beneficial this fair trade agreement is to coffee farmers and workers in third world countries. Research in coffee farming proposes that farmers do not gain from the benefits of fair trade in the ways they are presented in economically developed societies. (Wilson, 2013) This raises questions as to why peasant farmers participate in fair trade coffee networks despite these claims. The possible practicality of fair trade agreements with large corporations and third world countries has been proven to exist. If only a single kind of coffee was sold, the market would opt for the more expensive coffee, which would allow better control of the treatment of all workers. This would also remove the two classes of market wages from normal coffee and fair-trade coffee to allow more focus on ensuring the profits are evenly distributed between the farmer and the workers in third world countries. Singling out the coffee industry would even give the ability to lower the shelf prices to advantage to the consumer. However, this only works when all partners involved cooperate and in today’s world, it is not so realistic. In the current market, the trade methods are segregated in a way that does not always promote what is in the best interes... ... middle of paper ... ...rary.mtroyal.ca:2048/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/sp.2012.59.1.94 Haight, Colleen (2011). The Problem with Fair Trade Coffee. Stanford Social Innovation Review, pp. 1-7. Retrieved from: http://www.ssireview.org/pdf/2011SU_CaseStudy_Haight.pdf Hird, Christopher (Producer), Francis, Marc, & Francis, Nick (Directors). (2006). Black Gold [Motion Picture]. Ethiopia. Definition of Fair Trade. (2014) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair+trade?show=0&t=1391730800 Wilson, Bradley. "Delivering the Goods: Fair Trade, Solidarity, and the Moral Economy of the Coffee Contract in Nicaragua.” Human Organization 72, no. 3 (2013): 177-187. Retrieved from: http://library.mtroyal.ca:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,cookie,uid&db=bth&AN=89985527&site=ehost-live

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