Fair trade is a fast-growing alternative market intended to bring better prices and greater social justice to small farmers around the world. But is it working? This vivid study of coffee farmers in Mexico offers the first thorough investigation of the social, economic, and environmental benefits of fair trade. Based on extensive research in Zapotec indigenous communities in the state of Oaxaca, Brewing Justice follows the members of the cooperative Michiza, whose organic coffee is sold on the international fair trade market. The book compares these families to conventional farming families in the same region, who depend on local middlemen and who are vulnerable to the fluctuations of the world coffee market. Written in a clear and accessible style and updated with an added chapter and a new conclusion, the book carries readers into the lives of these coffee-producer households and their communities, offering a nuanced analysis of both the effects of fair trade on everyday life and the limits of its impact. Brewing Justice paints a clear picture of the complex dynamics of the fair trade market and its relationship to the global economy. Drawing on interviews with dozens of fair trade leaders, the book also explores the changing politics of this international movement, including the challenges posed by the entry of transnational corporations into the fair trade system. It concludes by offering recommendations for strengthening and protecting the integrity of fair trade.

About the Author
Daniel Jaffee is Associate Professor of Sociology at Portland State University.


Book Information
ISBN 9780520282247
Author Daniel Jaffee
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 590g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 25mm