In the context of a « fair-trade » market does a cooperative structure help its members obtain more bargaining power?

Fair trade has proved its efficiency in providing to Southern producers a decent income for their basic survival and well-being. It has also been noted that the main form of organization prevailing on the fair-trade market is cooperatives. The cooperative structure provides to its members a stronger position on the market since it reduces competitiveness; however its sustainability is not infallible. It is necessary to first understand what makes a cooperative sustainable to see if these conditions do not interfere with the conditions required to bargain. Then we address the importance of being a cooperative and how this helps it to obtain more bargaining power. In addition, we show how the fair-trade context provides a suitable environment to the cooperative to obtain even more bargaining power in increasing its wealth, and consequently, it makes her able to be more patient.