Gender, health, and Fairtrade: insights from a research-action programme in Nicaragua

The present article provides evidence from a collaborative research programme in Nicaragua that suggests that Fairtrade is falling short of its equity-promoting potential. Providing an alternative framing of Fairtrade based on the gendered social determinants of health, it suggests how Fairtrade can be optimised towards equity. The programme is based on experiences of community-based organisations and women coffee producers who perceive contradictions in the rhetoric of gender equity in Fairtrade. To orient future action and research towards more equitable and empowering possibilities for Fairtrade coffee producers, the framework illuminates the gendered nature of the contexts, activities, and impacts of Fairtrade.

The full article is available here:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09614524.2012.640981