The case of Café Femenino: The limitations of gender-conscious Fair Trade. (March 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cueva Alegría, Dayna
• Is Part Of: World development perspectives. Number 1(2016)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 3
• Publication Date: 2016-03
• Subjects: CECANOR Central de Cafetaleros del Nor Oriente -- CICAP Centro de Investigación, Capacitación, Asesoría y Promoción -- OPTCO Organic Produce Trading Company -- PROASSA Promotora de la Agricultura Sustentable; Economic development -- Evaluation -- Periodicals; Economic assistance -- Evaluation -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; Developing countries -- Economic conditions -- Periodicals; 338.9105
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wdp.2016.04.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2452-2929

Abstract

Highlights: Fair Trade (FT) is a market approach to address unfair North-South trade relations. FT works to alleviate poverty and lack of equitable distribution in cooperatives. Café Femenino (CF) is a women-only FT coffee co-op addressing gender inequality. CF women are empowered through female-only land ownership and local participation. However, CF overlooks the importance of extra-local participation in governance. Abstract: Fair Trade (FT) aims to advance women's economic and social development by addressing gender inequality – as evidenced by the unequal distribution of the material and non-material benefits of FT. These efforts have led to the formation of women-only FT cooperatives such as Café Femenino in Peru. Café Femenino's novel development approach is its requirement of female land ownership and female-only participation in local (cooperative-level) democratic decision-making. Yet, such an approach that privileges the "local" keeps women vulnerable, reducing their development potential. Identifying this central weakness in FT can inform development practice to rethink its reliance on the "local" and consider strategies to consolidate extra-local governance networks.