Fair Trade is a labeling initiative aimed at improving the lives of the poor in developing countries by offering better terms to producers and helping them to organize. In this survey, we provide a critical overview of the economic theory behind Fair Trade, describing the potential benefits and...

Fair Trade is a labeling initiative aimed at improving the lives of the poor in developing countries by offering better terms to producers and helping them to organize. Although Fair Trade–certified products still comprise a small share of the market—for example, Fair Trade–certified...

Information is the lifeblood of most market economies. Nevertheless, attempts to jump start information flow by creating Market Information Services for food and agriculture usually fail. The author distills experiences and lessons from other studies and individual experts in the field on the...

This paper, for the 2008 World Export Development Forum, considers the emerging importance of standards and offers a brief overview of the main public-private standards that increasingly govern trade in agrifood products. Their dynamic and rapidly evolving nature, particularly for ecolabels,...

Coffee is the leading agricultural sector in terms of both the number and frequent use of social and environmental certification. This fast-growing category of certified sustainable coffees has emerged from almost negligible quantities in the late 1990s to approximately 4% of global green coffee...

The State of Sustainable Coffee provides the first comprehensive overview of the market conditions facing, organic, fair trade and shade grown or eco-friendly coffees (termed 'sustainable' coffees). It outlines the volumes, trends, distribution channels, major players, and price premiums in 12...

Geographic Indications (GIs) such as Darjeeling Tea, Pampas meat, Basmati rice, and Parmigiano cheese embody unique expressions of culture, tradition, and place. This 6 page summary of the Main Themes of Discussion by the Terra Madre conference participants and the E-Forum departs from the...

An overview of the fundamental issues in the production, trade and regulation of organic products. It notes the changing consumer and trade environments that are driving organics beyond the realm of niche products toward an increasingly relevant position among other important agricultural...

The growing economic value and consumer popularity of sustainability standards inevitably raise questions about the extent to which their structure and dynamics actually address many environmental, economic and public welfare issues. The Committee on Sustainable Assessment (COSA) was formed, in...

El presente documento analiza la evolución del sector cafetero colombiano en la última década, periodo en el cual ha perdido valor. Se hace un diagnóstico de las causas que han generado el retroceso del sector y propone unas estrategias de política para que vuelva a ser competitivo en los...