Fair Trade, Coffee Production and Civil Society in Central America
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Abstract
Fair Trade in Central America has grown, in part, as a consequence of the action of a growing amount of rural organizations, mainly focused in coffee production, which saw in this initiative an option to improve the living conditions of its members and families. This group of organizations nourishes and boosts the activity of civil society within the region and supports the hypothesis of people that see in the strengthening of the organized sector of society, the possibility to revert or reduce the effects of old problems such as poverty, inequality or social exclusion in which an important section of the population currently lives. In this article we argue that Fair Trade constitutes a project that shows an important potential to improve the living conditions of numerous poor coffee producers, but it is also important for us to discuss some of its contradictions and most important problems, eloquently materialized in Central America and that could limit its capacity to grow and impact during the forthcoming years. We present a revision of specialized literature and a critical but constructive analysis of Fair Trade in Central America, through the study of the operation of some coffee producers’ organizations in the region.
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