Why ‘place’ matters in the development and impacts of Fairtrade production

McEwan, Cheryl; Hughes, Alex; Bek, David; Rosenberg, Zaitun

Abstract

This paper examines the importance of place for the cultural and environmental dynamics shaping Fairtrade cooperatives. It draws on a case study of the Eksteenskuil Agricultural Cooperative (EAC) in South Africa's Northern Cape, which supplies Fairtrade raisins to Traidcraft plc, one of the UK's leading Fairtrade organizations. It examines how the histories and geographies of place continually challenge and redefine the meaning and effectiveness of Fairtrade. It concludes with a number of recommendations for both Fairtrade organizations in general and EAC/Traidcraft specifically.

Citation

McEwan, C., Hughes, A., Bek, D., & Rosenberg, Z. (2014). Why ‘place’ matters in the development and impacts of Fairtrade production. Food Chain, 4(1), 78-92. https://doi.org/10.3362/2046-1887.2014.007

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: May 21, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: May 27, 2014
• Journal: Food Chain
• Print ISSN: 2046-1887
• Electronic ISSN: 2046-1887
• Publisher: Practical Action Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 4
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 78-92
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3362/2046-1887.2014.007
• Keywords: South Africa, Fairtrade, Place, Geography, History, Traidcraft.