We are Women in Coffee!: An explanatory case study of Fairtrade’s gendered impact on female and male farmers of a Fairtrade certified Kenyan coffee cooperative

Abstract

Due to globalisation, the world is becoming increasingly intertwined with complex global trade networks linking producers and consumers through largely unequal relationships. Fairtrade addresses this inequality by supporting the vulnerable producers. However, this is often done without disaggregating impact by gender though various scholars have noted that men and women are generally affected differently by interventions. This thesis therefore explores the heterogeneous experiences and perceptions of Fairtrade for female and male farmers of the Kenyan Fairtrade certified cooperative Kabngetuny Farmers Cooperative Society, located in a small rural village called Chepkechei in Great Rift Valley. By using gender analysis the gendered impact of Fairtrade is examined in order to answer the main aim of this study: whether Fairtrade can lead to women’s empowerment and gender equality. The research was carried out April-May 2015 as a Minor Field Study, employing a qualitative explanatory case study, mainly using participatory observation and focus group interviews. The study revealed that due to different gender roles and highly separated gender divisions of labour female and male farmers are affected differently by Fairtrade. It moreover showed that Fairtrade has positively impacted the income of women, but with marginal alteration of current gender roles. Neither has it challenged women’s subordination to a significant degree. Hence, it only partially empowers women and addresses gender inequalities. However, since it is a continuing initiative, its impact has to be investigated anew to assess its actual impact over time. I believe that this study will contribute to the understanding of how gender works as a differentiating and separating mechanism through gender divisions of labour and subsequently assigned gender roles. My study has pointed out the different outcomes men and women experience from Fairtrade, and how these can be addressed for Fairtrade to achieve women’s empowerment and gender equality.