The present study examined Fairtrade certification from the perspective of sustainable development, with a focus on social, cultural, environmental, economic and political factors taking into account the perception of the actors in charge of the first part of the global value chain of the Central of Apicultural Cooperatives in Brazilian Semiarid - CASA APIS. Casa Apis is a solidary enterprise structured under PROMEL, a program to generate employment and income and combat poverty in the Northeast of Brazil. The Central aforementioned is located in the city of Picos-PI and currently gives assistance to about 960 beekeepers that are placed in 08 cooperatives in 52 municipalities in Piauà and CearÃ. With a view to improving the competitiveness of cooperatives, Casa Apis seeks constantly to obtain the seals of the most important beekeeping industry certifications, including certification of Fair Trade, which was acquired in 2007 and made it the first certified apicultural exporter cooperative in Brazil. Fair-trade certification primarily aims at the sustainable development of small producers organizations by checking the fulfilling of policies and principles which value the small producer, who formerly had an unfair treatment in the traditional trade model, especially in relation to payment. These principles are supported by the Sustainable Development proposal. According to Sachs (2009), equity in social, cultural, environmental, economic, and political aspects, among others, is essential for Sustainable Development. We chose Casa Apis as an object of this study because of its importance for the sustainable development of the Brazilian semiarid region. Fairtrade certification requires sustainable development through production practices and trade which are socially fair, environmentally-oriented and economically ethical. This case study adopted content analysis and triangulation methods to analyze data (BARDIN, 2011; YIN (2011). We found out that Fairtrade certification promotes Sustainable Development from the perspective of the dimensions chosen for the study. Nevertheless, it was observed that the model of development within these dimensions are not equally developed as proposed in the model of Sachs (2009), but is still in process of development / O presente estudo analisou a certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo sob a Ãtica do Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel, com enfoque nas dimensÃes social, cultural, ambiental, econÃmica e polÃtica a partir da percepÃÃo dos atores envolvidos no inÃcio da cadeia global de valor da Central de Cooperativas ApÃcolas do SemiÃrido Brasileiro (CASA APIS). A Casa Apis à um empreendimento solidÃrio, estruturado no Ãmbito do Programa de GeraÃÃo de Emprego e Renda e Combate à Pobreza no Nordeste (PROMEL). A Central fica situada na cidade de Picos/PI e beneficia atualmente cerca de 960 apicultores distribuidos entre 08 cooperativas singulares em 52 municÃpios nos Estados do Piauà e CearÃ, e com o intuito de melhorar a competitivade de suas cooperativas, vem buscando adquirir os selos das mais importantes certificaÃÃes do setor apÃcola, entre eles a certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo, pelo qual adquiriu em 2007, tornando-se a primeira cooperativa apÃcola exportadora certificada no Brasil. A certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo visa, sobretudo, o desenvolvimento sustentÃvel das organizaÃÃes dos pequenos produtores atravÃs do cumprimento de suas polÃticas e princÃpios que oportunizam e valorizam o pequeno produtor, outrora injustiÃado pelo modelo de comÃrcio tradicional, principalmente em relaÃÃo ao pagamento injusto. Esses princÃpios sÃo sustentados pela proposta do Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel. Segundo Sachs (2009), para que haja Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel à necessÃrio a equidade entre as dimensÃes social, cultural, ambiental, econÃmica, polÃtica, dentre outras. Optou-se pela Casa Apis enquanto objeto deste estudo pela sua importÃncia para o desenvolvimento sustentÃvel da regiÃo do semiÃrido brasileiro. Para haver certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo à necessÃrio o desenvolvimento sustentÃvel, atravÃs das prÃticas de produÃÃo e comercializaÃÃo socialmente justo, ambientalmente correto e economicamente Ãtico. Este estudo de caso adotou como mÃtodo para a anÃlise dos dados a anÃlise de conteÃdo e triangulaÃÃo do dados (YIN, 2010; BARDIN, 2011). Inferiu-se que a certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo promove o Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel sob a Ãtica das dimensÃes escolhidas para o estudo. Contudo, observou-se que o modelo de desenvolvimento no Ãmbito dessas dimensÃes nÃo estÃo equitativamente desenvolvidas conforme propÃe o modelo de Sachs (2009), mas encontra-se ainda em processo de formaÃÃo e desenvolvimento

Magister Economicae - MEcon / Fairtrade is an international organisation aimed at creating empowerment, sustainable livelihoods and fair trading opportunities for small-scale producers and hired labourers in the Global South. The organisation Fairtrade International and its independent certification body FLO-CERT form part of the larger Fair Trade movement. As South Africa's wine industry is still characterized by oppression of its farm workers, the organisation urges for a profound transformation of the industry. Fairtrade's engagement in South Africa is unique as it emerged from an initiative of local producers seeking the certification in 2003. Since then, the number of Fairtrade grape and wine farms has steadily increased and expanded to other wine-producing countries. Thus, after more than ten years of Fairtrade operation in this industry, it is worthwhile evaluating the impact of this international initiative on local farm workers on wine estates. This study uses the capability approach as a theoretical platform from which to assess farm workers' quality of life. The investigation draws a comparison between conditions for workers on Fairtrade-certified farms and conditions for workers on non-certified wine estates. Quantitative research methods were used to gather relevant information. The findings prove the hypothesis of a positive impact of the Fairtrade intervention, but only in certain categories. Labourers on Fairtrade-certified farms were found to be better off concerning financial provision for retirement, contractual status and opportunities to participate in professional training and to join unions. The data furthermore supports the hypothesis that Fairtrade workers are more satisfied with their jobs on wine farms. For further research, longitudinal studies and participatory research approaches are recommended to obtain in depth-information about farm workers' views on Fairtrade.

This dissertation aims to challenge the existing built thresholds that are in place between South Africa and its neighbouring countries. In the words of Heidegger, “ A boundary is not that at which something stops, but as the Greeks recognised, the boundary is that from which something begins it’s prescencing.”¹ Boundaries and edges need to be created. They need to be made strong. They need to dominate and control. But borders must not be barriers. This study sets out to investigate the design of a border complex as a transition zone between two countries. It intends to encourage international connectivity, and encourage fair trade and travel, by addressing the functional requirements expectant of a border post, and ensuring the necessary control. Emphasis is also placed on movement through a site where many challenging physical constraints call for innovative design solutions, and where a harsh climate needs to be addressed. / Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Architecture / unrestricted

For producers motivated by their new status as self-employed, landowning, capitalist coffee growers, specialty coffee presents an opportunity to proactively change the way they participate in the international market. Now responsible for determining their own path, many producers have jumped at the chance to enhance the value of their product and participate in the new “fair trade” market. But recent trends in the international coffee price have led many producers to wonder why their efforts to produce a certified Fair Trade and organic product are not generating the price advantage they had anticipated. My study incorporates data collected in eighteen months of fieldwork, including more than 45 interviews with coffee producers and fair trade roasters, 90 surveys of coffee growers, and ongoing participant observation to understand how fair trade certification, as both a market system and development program, meets the expectations of the coffee growers. By comparing three coffee cooperatives that have engaged the Fair Trade system to disparate ends, the results of this investigation are three case studies that demonstrate how global processes of certification, commodity trade, market interaction, and development aid effect social and cultural change within communities. This study frames several lessons learned in terms of 1. socioeconomic impacts of fair trade, 2. characteristics associated with positive development encounters, and 3. potential for commodity producers to capture value further along their global value chain. Commodity chain comparisons indicate the Fair Trade certified cooperative receives the highest per-pound price, though these findings are complicated by costs associate with certification and producers’ perceptions of an “unjust” system. Fair trade-supported projects are demonstrated as more “successful” in the eyes of recipients, though their attention to detail can just as easily result in “failure”. Finally, survey results reveal just how limited is the market knowledge of producers in each cooperative, though fair trade does, in fact, provide a rare opportunity for producers to learn about consumer demand for coffee quality. Though bittersweet, the fair trade experiences described here present a learning opportunity for a wide range of audiences, from the certified to the certifiers to the concerned public and conscientious consumer.

This thesis seeks to analyze the “alternative” nature of organic and fair trade markets and whether they are truly challenging the neoliberal food system, using the case of Bolivian quinoa, traditionally a subsistence crop, to analyze the effects on producer livelihoods. Field research, conducted from April until August 2015, focuses on two areas in the Altiplano sur: the small community of Rodeo and the town of Salinas de Garcí Mendoza. The study uses a political ecology and historical materialist theoretical framework and an ethnographically oriented livelihoods approach, in order to better weave the macro-processes of power to producers’ struggles over their livelihoods. Though organic and fair trade markets are by no means revolutionizing quinoa production or relationships of production in Bolivia, they are providing better terms of trade for producers and allowing them to maintain more traditional, small scale modes of production and community levels of organization. In addition, field research helped facilitate a critical discussion about the challenges and opportunities afforded by these alternatives, talking directly to producers and tying their local difficulties to larger, structural realities: a humble first step in problematizing a common lived struggle.

Práce je věnována problematice zapojení nejméně rozvinutých zemí do mezinárodních ekonomických vztahů. První část seznamuje čtenáře s touto skupinou zemí a kritérii, která jsou používána pro určování statutu nejméně rozvinuté země. Druhá část se věnuje zapojení těchto zemí do mezinárodního obchodu a alternativám vůči jeho současným pravidlům - Fair Tradu a mikrofinancování. Závěrečná část je zaměřena na zapojení těchto zemí do mezinárodních finančních vztahů. Soustředí se na přímé zahraniční investice proudící do a z těchto zemí, jejich vliv na ekonomiku a bariéry, které před investory v těchto zemích stojí. Věnuje se též problematice zadluženosti a snahám o její řešení.

This thesis is concerned with both positive and negative economic aspects of Fair Trade and addresses the influence of Fair Trade production of cocoa in Ghana on its economic development. The objective is to find out, if Fair Trade is the propriate tool to eradicate poverty in this country.

The aim of the thesis is to clarify concepts regarding the Fair Trade system and to contribute to an objective debate about the viability of the model and its real effects. It analyses history and development of trade; trade institutions and major players, development theories and namely concepts of Free Trade and Fair Trade and the differences between them. It is not fair to blame the market for the poverty and hardships of the poor; but it is also unwise to expect things to be fixed alone. Fair Trade is an alternative; a choice. It must not be taken as something unquestionably beneficial, but it must not be demonized either: a sincere debate is necessary to assess the effectiveness of Fair Trade and other forms of help to combat poverty.

In the twenty-first century, African farmers are still in the grips of economic stagnation and are being subjected to neo-liberal developmental policies such as structural adjustment and trade liberalization. However, small-scale producers have not disengaged from the state as some scholars assert like Goran Hyden. In Ghana, producers came together in the form of a farmers' union to address their economic needs not through the "economy of affection" where they relied on kinship and other forms of familial alliances but rather through networks of market-oriented economic association. One such association for agriculture producers was the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers' Union, a cocoa farmers' association. The formation of the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers' Union created a complex interaction between the state and agricultural producers. Smallholder cocoa producers, through such organizations, laid claim as actors in economic development. The state, through its historic role as financier of agricultural production, tried to find new avenues to dominate rural producers even in a post liberalized world, where the state was supposed to be withdrawing from active involvement in the economy and allowing the private sector to be the main engine of economic growth. It is within this framework of contestation that this study contends that scholars should examine the relations between state and agricultural producers, and the implications of this relationship on economic development and the marketplace. I argue that this complex interaction is not a clear situation of the "economy of affection" or the total dominance of the state but rather a complex interaction in which the state most often has the upper hand but does not suppress the ability of agricultural producers to be meaningful actors in the marketplace. Commodity farmers are not limited to the sphere of production or "exit" from the national economy but try to empower their members through fair trade practices and direct involvement in the confectionery industry in order to take control over their product and become active participants in the world market.

Referat: Unter den Stichworten "Ethischer Konsum", "Politischer Konsum", "Moralischer Konsum" o.Ä. lassen sich seit den letzten Jahren Konsummuster fassen, in denen neben der Erfüllung privater Wünsche und Bedürfnisse immer stärker die Frage danach aufgeworfen wird, inwiefern das eigene Konsumverhalten dazu beitragen kann, bestehende globale Verteilungsungerechtigkeiten/Umweltprobleme abzumildern oder ganz zu beseitigen. Unter anderem mittels verschiedener Siegel, die faire Arbeitsbedingungen oder eine nachhaltige Produktion (vermeintlich) garantieren, sollen Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten dabei mit dem für sie nötigen Wissen über die Herkunft der Waren ausgestattet werden. In vorliegender Arbeit wird die Frage gestellt, wie in Diskursen und Praktiken jener Formen kritischen Konsums gesellschaftliche Problematiken (z.B. die oben angesprochenen) in Probleme bzw. Aufgaben individueller Lebensführung übersetzt werden, mithin also von einer globalen Ebene auf eine lokale, körperliche herunterskaliert werden. Dabei wird kritischer Konsum als spezifisches Handlungsfeld verstanden, welches jenen Spielraum eröffnet, der für die Etablierung jeglicher aktiv gestalteter Lebensführung ("Selbsttechniken" im weitesten Sinne) notwendig ist, und damit die Konstituierung von "raumsensiblen" und "verantwortlich" agierenden Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten erst ermöglicht.