Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Fairtrade, place and moral economy: between abstract ethical discourse and the moral experience of Northern Cape farmers

McEwan, C.; Hughes, A.; Bek, D.

Fairtrade, place and moral economy: between abstract ethical discourse and the moral experience of Northern Cape farmers Thumbnail


Authors

A. Hughes

D. Bek



Abstract

This paper explores the significance of the relationships and disjunctures between the global moral discourses of Fairtrade that are articulated through ethics of fairness in supply chains and the everyday moral experiences, discourses and practices of producers that shape moral economies in specific localities. Due to increased governance through universal codes, standards and certification, Fairtrade risks becoming an abstract ethical and regulatory tool, disconnected from the moral economies of those poor farmers it is intended to benefit. In response, the paper makes a case for a deeper understanding of the moral economies of farmers involved in Fairtrade networks and the ways in which these emerge out of moral experiences that are deeply embedded in local social and cultural relations. Through a case study of Eksteenskuil Agricultural Cooperative in South Africa’s Northern Cape, it seeks to demonstrate the importance of understanding the moral experiences of producers to better consider what is at stake for them, focusing on notions of cooperation, fairness and the ‘good farmer’, perceptions of community, and concerns with survival and self-sufficiency. The paper concludes that working in culturally-sensitive ways with producer communities and understanding how their local moral worlds are structured is vital in bridging the gap between abstract ethical discourses and the place-based moral experiences of producers, and to ensuring the effectiveness of Fairtrade initiatives.

Citation

McEwan, C., Hughes, A., & Bek, D. (2017). Fairtrade, place and moral economy: between abstract ethical discourse and the moral experience of Northern Cape farmers. Environment and Planning A, 49(3), 572-591. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518x16674722

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 27, 2016
Online Publication Date Oct 17, 2016
Publication Date Mar 1, 2017
Deposit Date Sep 27, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Environment and Planning A
Print ISSN 0308-518X
Electronic ISSN 1472-3409
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 49
Issue 3
Pages 572-591
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518x16674722

Files

Accepted Journal Article (350 Kb)
PDF

Copyright Statement
McEwan, C. and Hughes, A. and Bek, D. (2017) 'Fairtrade, place and moral economy : between abstract ethical discourse and the moral experience of Northern Cape farmers.', Environment and planning A., 49 (3). pp. 572-591. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.





You might also like



Downloadable Citations