Organic and Fair Trade Coffee: Diverging Experiences among Smallholders in Honduras

Abstract

The thesis analyzes two case studies from two groups of organic coffee producers in La Paz Honduras, and their experiences with certified and non-certified organic farming and fair trade. It looks at how their adoption of organic techniques and possibilities to enter the Fair Trade market are modified by and modify their asset base, context and livelihood strategies. In light of the findings, the thesis looks at assumptions and images of organic farming and fair trade, and discusses to which extent the images and realities of organic production and Fair Trade are coherent. The main findings are that organic production is not possible for all poor farmers because of their scarce financial resources, and that the main benefit from Fair trade has been a stable price - even when it does not provide the farmer with a significant surplus.