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Fairtrade, certification, and labor: global and local tensions in improving conditions for agricultural workers

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  • Laura Raynolds

Abstract

A growing number of multi-stakeholder initiatives seek to improve labor and environmental standards through third-party certification. Fairtrade, one of the most popular third-party certifications in the agro-food sector, is currently expanding its operations from its traditional base in commodities like coffee produced by peasant cooperatives to products like flowers produced by hired labor enterprises. My analysis reveals how Fairtrade’s engagement in the hired labor sector is shaped by the tensions between (1) traditional market and industrial conventions, rooted in price competition, bureaucratic efficiency, product standardization and certification and (2) alternative domestic and civic conventions, rooted in trust, personal ties, and concerns for societal wide benefits. At the global level, these tensions shape Fairtrade’s global standard setting as reflected in Fairtrade’s recently revised labor standards. At the local level, these tensions shape the varied impacts of certification on the ground as revealed through a case study of certified flower production in Ecuador. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

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  • Laura Raynolds, 2014. "Fairtrade, certification, and labor: global and local tensions in improving conditions for agricultural workers," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(3), pages 499-511, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:31:y:2014:i:3:p:499-511
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-014-9506-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Starobin, Shana M., 2021. "Credibility beyond compliance: Uncertified smallholders in sustainable food systems," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    7. Laurel Bellante, 2017. "Building the local food movement in Chiapas, Mexico: rationales, benefits, and limitations," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(1), pages 119-134, March.
    8. Oya, Carlos & Schaefer, Florian & Skalidou, Dafni, 2018. "The effectiveness of agricultural certification in developing countries: A systematic review," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 282-312.
    9. Tampe, Maja, 2021. "Turning rules into practices: An inside-out approach to understanding the implementation of sustainability standards," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    10. Daniel Jaffee & Philip H. Howard, 2016. "Who’s the fairest of them all? The fractured landscape of U.S. fair trade certification," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 33(4), pages 813-826, December.
    11. Stemmler, Henry & Meemken, Eva-Marie, 2023. "Greenhouse farming and employment: Evidence from Ecuador," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    12. Filippa Pyk & Assem Abu Hatab, 2018. "Fairtrade and Sustainability: Motivations for Fairtrade Certification among Smallholder Coffee Growers in Tanzania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-18, May.
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    16. Nicholas G. Marconi & Neal H. Hooker & Nicholas DiMarcello III, 2017. "What's in a Name? The Impact of Fair Trade Claims on Product Price," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(2), pages 160-174, April.
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