Can you taste the difference? Exploring producer experiences of Fairtrade and development in Timor-Leste

Abstract

The Fairtrade project aims to support producer-directed community development and transform unjust trade relations at both the local and global scale. These transformational ambitions are commonly ascribed to Fairtrade principles yet there are limited studies, based within spaces of production that examine the influence of Fairtrade principles on the daily lives of producers. Thus, questions remain over how the Fairtrade project is realised at the producer level and whether Fairtrade supports transformation or reproduces historically-embedded power asymmetries beneath a veil of benevolence.

This thesis addresses this problem through a case study of coffee producers in rural Timor-Leste. To explore the situated understanding, implementation and experience of Fairtrade and development, data was gathered through semi-structured interviews, photovoice and focus groups. Data was transcribed and analysed and the process illuminated a number of themes - good governance, capacity-building, empowerment and representation - in the context of Fairtrades’ absence.