Exploring the implications of the Fair Trade USA certification for farm worker health and wellbeing at the first certified farm in the U.S.
Decades of interdisciplinary research suggest that fair trade certification may have significant implications for the development of more equitable and sustainable agricultural practices. The certification was originally established to support smallholder farming cooperatives in developing countri...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/1216 |
| _version_ | 1827399018905337856 |
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| author | Alissa Bilfield Edmundo Hernandez |
| author_facet | Alissa Bilfield Edmundo Hernandez |
| author_sort | Alissa Bilfield |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Decades of interdisciplinary research suggest that fair trade certification may have significant implications for the development of more equitable and sustainable agricultural practices. The certification was originally established to support smallholder farming cooperatives in developing countries. However, a recent organizational division separating Fairtrade International from Fair Trade USA has created a bifurcation in certification standards.[1] Under the new Fair Trade USA program, the first domestic certification standard for U.S.-based farms is now being implemented. The aim of this study is to understand the impact of the new certification on farm operations and farm worker wellbeing at the first U.S. fair trade-certified farm, from the perspectives of farm workers, farm management, and the supply chain. The initial findings from this limited exploratory study indicate that the certification can be used as a tool to improve farm worker empowerment while also providing material benefits and resources. More research is needed to determine the long-term impact and feasibility of more widespread impelementation.
1 For the purpose of this paper, fair trade is used to refer generally to the concept, whereas in the case of specific organizations and/or their certifications, other spelling is used. For example, Fair Trade USA and Fair Trade Certification, versus Fairtrade International and Fairtrade Certification.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:38:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-748879df70cc49ff9d75b2015b621b67 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2152-0801 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:38:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-748879df70cc49ff9d75b2015b621b672023-12-25T20:23:25ZengLyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food SystemsJournal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development2152-08012023-12-0113110.5304/jafscd.2023.131.019Exploring the implications of the Fair Trade USA certification for farm worker health and wellbeing at the first certified farm in the U.S.Alissa Bilfield0Edmundo Hernandez1University of WashingtonUniversity of Arizona Decades of interdisciplinary research suggest that fair trade certification may have significant implications for the development of more equitable and sustainable agricultural practices. The certification was originally established to support smallholder farming cooperatives in developing countries. However, a recent organizational division separating Fairtrade International from Fair Trade USA has created a bifurcation in certification standards.[1] Under the new Fair Trade USA program, the first domestic certification standard for U.S.-based farms is now being implemented. The aim of this study is to understand the impact of the new certification on farm operations and farm worker wellbeing at the first U.S. fair trade-certified farm, from the perspectives of farm workers, farm management, and the supply chain. The initial findings from this limited exploratory study indicate that the certification can be used as a tool to improve farm worker empowerment while also providing material benefits and resources. More research is needed to determine the long-term impact and feasibility of more widespread impelementation. 1 For the purpose of this paper, fair trade is used to refer generally to the concept, whereas in the case of specific organizations and/or their certifications, other spelling is used. For example, Fair Trade USA and Fair Trade Certification, versus Fairtrade International and Fairtrade Certification. https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/1216fair tradefarm workerssustainable agricultureagricultural justicecertification |
| spellingShingle | Alissa Bilfield Edmundo Hernandez Exploring the implications of the Fair Trade USA certification for farm worker health and wellbeing at the first certified farm in the U.S. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development fair trade farm workers sustainable agriculture agricultural justice certification |
| title | Exploring the implications of the Fair Trade USA certification for farm worker health and wellbeing at the first certified farm in the U.S. |
| title_full | Exploring the implications of the Fair Trade USA certification for farm worker health and wellbeing at the first certified farm in the U.S. |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the implications of the Fair Trade USA certification for farm worker health and wellbeing at the first certified farm in the U.S. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the implications of the Fair Trade USA certification for farm worker health and wellbeing at the first certified farm in the U.S. |
| title_short | Exploring the implications of the Fair Trade USA certification for farm worker health and wellbeing at the first certified farm in the U.S. |
| title_sort | exploring the implications of the fair trade usa certification for farm worker health and wellbeing at the first certified farm in the u s |
| topic | fair trade farm workers sustainable agriculture agricultural justice certification |
| url | https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/1216 |
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