Abstract
Fair Trade from the Ground Up, by April Linton, illustrates the many aspects of the fair trade movement. From farmers to businesses to consumers to activists, Linton covers it all. The book starts off with describing what fair trade products are, the obstacles to expanding the market, and the movement’s fundamental beliefs. The first half of the book (Chapters One–Three) gives insight into the farming, producing, and selling side of fair trade products and the second half (Chapters Four–Seven) looks at the consuming and activist side.
Chapter One focuses on farmers worldwide who are involved in the fair trade movement. Linton points out that although coffee bean farmers who belong to fair trade cooperatives, many of these farmers do not entirely understand the idea of fair trade. Linton returns to this gap in understanding between the producers and the farmers throughout the book. Chapter Two highlights coffee farmers in Guatemala and what sets these fair trade farmers apart from the rest. Linton outlines the roles of the leaders and farmer members of different cooperatives and explains several obstacles the system faces, such as side-selling, where farmers sell a portion of their crops to local buyers instead of to fair trade cooperatives. Chapter Three is rich with graphs and charts illustrating how the fair trade premium consumers pay supports social and economic growth in countries where the products are grown.
Chapter Four explains the selling and buying process of fair trade products and factors that producers need to consider when deciding whether to sell to big corporations like Walmart or Starbucks, which sell only a small percentage of fair trade products. Chapter Five draws attention to different activist groups for fair trade products, including fair trade towns, statewide coalitions, faith organizations and churches, and environmentalist groups. Chapter Six discusses the fair trade movement within the university setting—the University of California at San Diego, in particular. The chapter includes the university’s fair trade policy and interviews with students involved in the movement. Chapter Seven concludes with projections for the future of the fair trade movement and the barriers producers face when deciding how to expand the fair trade market.
This book presents the various aspects of the fair trade movement effectively and speaks candidly about the progress as well as changes needed in the fair trade system. Fair Trade from the Ground Up is an intriguing and informational read for anyone who is involved or interested in the fair trade movement.