Fair Trade, Gender, and the Environment in Africa

This chapter analyzes the impacts of fair trade's efforts to narrow the global North-South divide, focusing particularly on the case of Africa. Africa is currently experiencing the largest growth in fair trade certified producer groups and products. Since Africa represents one of the most disadvantaged regions in the world, the need for fair trade to enhance environmental sustainability and social equality for farmers and agricultural workers is acute. As we demonstrate, fair trade in Africa is closely linked to organic initiatives in seeking to halt environmental degradation in agro-export sectors. Fair trade's support for producer and organizational empowerment is linked explicitly to issues of gender equity, bolstering the initiative's social mandate. Although it is by no means a panacea, we conclude that fair trade provides an important avenue for addressing critical environmental and social problems in Africa today.