Democratic Co-ops & Associations Most Fair Trade goods are
produced by groups of small-scale farmers. These producers are
organized into co-operatives or associations, which they own and
govern democratically. Cocoa, sugar, cotton, coffee, herbs and
spices all come exclusively from small producer organizations.
There are Fair Trade standards related to social, economic, and
environment development, as well as labour conditions for small
producer organizations. Read the small producer standards here.
Through the co-operative model, producers unite to meet their
common economic and social needs. Co-operatives are jointly-
owned and governed democratically by producers. All co-
operatives have an elected Board of Directors. There is also a
General Assembly; producers either join this body directly or
elect delegates to represent them. This body is responsible for
decision-making, and determines how the Fair Trade premium can
best be used to meet community needs. |Photo: Eric St-Pierre| So
what are co-ops all about