Poor Farmer

This statement is in response to the SOAS study, also published here: http://poorfarmer.blogspot.com/2014/05/study-fairtrade-has-made-no-positive.html Fairtrade International May 16, 2014 Fairtrade International is strongly committed to improving trading terms, working conditions and poverty outcomes for both farmers and workers employed in Fairtrade supply chains, which are the core areas of our work. We value rigorous independent research exploring Fairtrade’s impact on  poverty, trade, and rural farmer and worker livelihoods and the use of the Fairtrade label. Such research helps us to strengthen our work and better address challenges that persist in the regions where we work.  Fairtrade standards regarding workers’ rights are benchmarked with International Labour Organisation conventions, and recent informed changes include Fairtrade’s revised Hired Labour Standard with stronger protection and benefits for workers,  the launch of a new project ...

Fairtrade has made no positive difference to wage workers; its contribution to poverty reduction is not the most effective one Excerpt Fairtrade, Employment and Poverty Reduction in Ethiopia and Uganda Final Report to DFID May 19, 2014 (Re-published on May 24, 2014) This research project addresses three intersecting issues where it has been acknowledged that there is too little empirical knowledge: the transmission mechanisms linking global trade in agricultural products with poverty reduction; the functioning and significance of rural labour markets in low-income countries; and the labour market dimensions of Fairtrade certification. The Fairtrade, Employment and Poverty Reduction in Ethiopia and Uganda (FTEPR) research team, based at SOAS, University of London, set out to develop and apply innovative, careful research methods in order to gather analytically useful, policy relevant evidence on these issues. Thus, the core objective of the research was to impr...

Fair Trade Resource Network to close at end of May   FTRN May 13, 2014 The staff and Board announce that FTRN will be shutting down as of May 31, 2014. While we are disappointed that we won't be able to advance Fair Trade from our own organization, we commit to supporting Fair Trade through other organizations and activities. We are proud of all that FTRN has accomplished over 15 years, in partnership with you, allied organizations, and thousands of individuals. The main reason we are closing is that FTRN has been unable to attract sustainable funding. A relatively small movement has become quite fragmented in recent years, making it very difficult to sustain an inclusive, umbrella Fair Trade education & advocacy organization. We hope that by closing, we free up resources, and space, for Fair Trade interests to reassess, strengthen and grow. We are proud of the work that FTRN has done over the years to provide resources to the movement and supp...