KUSIKUY - make yourself happy

The Feminist Experience of Fair Trade

2012-01-21T23:42:00.005-05:00

Comercio Justo and Justice: An examination of Fair Trade
and its impact on indigenous womenand the family.

(Presented at the ALLIED SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATIONS
annual meeting in Chicago, IL, Jan. 7, 2012)

Fair Trade is a multi-billion dollar formof commerce developed in the 1960s by American and European organizations as away to promote cultural and environmental sustainability and bring greatereconomic return to marginalized producers. It is supported by producers who voluntarily embrace theguidelines of Fair Trade by working together cooperatively, sharing resources, improving product quality,and providing transparency. FairTrade is also supported by consumers who embrace its socially responsiblevalues by purchasing Fair Trade products.

Most Fair Traders are male land owners,though women are also an important, and often overlooked, part of trade too. Forty-five percent of the members of theUSA Fair Trade Federation are women. There are also hundreds of women members in Europe’s World Fair TradeOrganization (WFTO). There arewomen directly engaged in Fair Trade as producers and also women who areaffected by their husbands’ participation in Fair Trade. The livelihoods of the women impact thequality of life for the children, family, and community. Social structures and culture setdifferent rules for women than men, making women’s access and participation inFair Trade much different. Thefeminist experience of women in Fair Trade is defined and examined in thispaper.

In addition, many producers engaged inFair Trade are from indigenous communities. As the demands of globalization come with Fair Tradeparticipation, there is an impact on the indigenous culture. The Andean indigenous way of knowing, theAbya Yala, for example, is based onnot just an exchange of goods, but also on reciprocity, shared knowledge, and adeep interconnectedness (Carcelen & Yepez, 2004). The degree to which oneis able to work within their belief system, impacts their quality of life.

While my research confirms that Bolivianwomen’s Fair Trade participation has resulted in the same health, education,and monetary benefits the more frequently researched, Fair Trade coffee farmersreported in a 2009 study, there are other aspects of their quality of life, asdefined by the women, which I also study (removed for anonymity, 2010). The quality of life of indigenous women,to date, have not been examined in any fair trade literature. These qualities, as defined by thewomen, include leadership, empowerment, acceptance and support from thecommunity and family, opportunities, working conditions, freedom from violence,spirituality, and self expression.

I have been living and working withindigenous women in Bolivia for 15 years, as journalist, Fair Trade businessowner. In May and June 2010, Itraveled to Bolivia as a doctoral researcher and ethnographer to study theeffects of Fair Trade on these women. Employing ethnographic research methods, I strove to capture theexperiences as told and understood by the women in their own voices andcontext. After two months offormal research, interviews, workshops, home-stays, and observation of over 66indigenous women producers of high end alpaca knitwear for export, commonthemes and patterns began to emerge. The results of this study are shared in the context of building agreater understanding of Fair Trade and its impact on indigenous women and thefamily.

The intellectual merit of this paper isto examine how Fair Trade outcomes advance our theoretical understanding ofjustice with a focus on Bolivia’s indigenous women engaged in Fair Trade production.Women question the justice of this commerce form. Using the producers’ language, definitions andinterpretation, this paper presents a perception of Fair Trade originating fromtheir experiences. This isanalyzed in relation to the economic theories of justice developed by AmartyaSen. Sen equates justice withcapabilities, freedom, and development which offers many parallels to the FairTrade guidelines established by western organizations. The broader impact is to create a dialogaround understanding Fair Trade which can lead to further development of justand equitable trade systems worldwide.

The Plight of Women

Women do not experience Fair Trade thesame as men and they need it more because of their familyresponsibilities. Women aresometimes paid as laborers though they are also working, unpaid, as homemakers,caregivers, and “providers of human life” (Floro & Meurs, 2009). The International Labor Organization (ILO) labels women’sunpaid labor as “women’s double burden” defining it as a demand for bothreproductive work and labor (Floro & Meurs, 2009). Women are described as both“time-poor” and “money-poor.” Thismeans that when hours in paid and unpaid work are totaled, women have longerwork weeks than men and less time for sleep or leisure (Fig. 1). This impacts their time and flexibilityfor engaging in paid labor and decent work.

(Fig. 1) Cooking and cleaning, hours and minutes per day (UNDP, 2007)

The ILO defined decent work as employmentwhich provides opportunity, fair income, security and social protection, andthe freedom to organize (Floro & Meurs, 2009). Globally, women are marginalized. Since 1996, only 53% of all women participated in the globallabor force while 80% of all men did. These rates continued remain steady as of 2006 (Floro & Meurs, 2009). In addition, it is not easy for womento find decent work. Jobs haveshifted from formal, legally regulated, large firms to smaller, informal firmsand home work. These jobs, whilemore accessible to women, are outside of the protection of labor laws and lackrights to social benefits such as health care and insurance. Social, legal, and political institutionsalso play a large role in women’s access to decent work. Traditional culture and patriarchylimit the appropriateness of women working as does fertility. High fertility rates are directlyrelated to a lack of women in the labor force (Floro & Meurs, 2009). With new technologies, education,longer living, and political change, women’s opportunities to work havechanged. Jobs are still illusivethough they are now more precarious than ever. While new labor opportunities for women opened in globalexport processing zones (EPZ), these actually replaced the work of core,full-time (male) workers. Some ofthese male workers were heads of households where the women lived. Now the men are out of work and theless expensive, submissive women are in to take their places, at a lower wage,and a loss to the family security (Floro & Meurs, 2009). Fair Trade intersects these scenariosby providing women safe, secure access to the wage economy.

The Indigenous Perspective
(The rest of this paper was submitted to the Journal of Feminist Economics for peer review and publication)

Fair Trade as a theory of justice

2012-01-19T07:48:00.001-05:00

Comercio Justo and Justice: Anexamination of Fair Trade.

Presented at The Sixth Forum of the World Association for PoliticalEconomy (WAPE):

Responses to Capitalist Crisis: Neoliberalism and Beyond

May 27 to May 29, 2011, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

This paper examines the theoreticalbasis of Fair Trade as justice. Grounded largely in the works of Amartya Sen and supported by otherphilosophers and economists, it looks at the origins, motivations, and elementsof Fair Trade. I explore FairTrade as a form of justice and seek to understand it as a transformationalmodel of trade. The intellectualmerit of this paper is to examine how Fair Trade outcomes advance ourtheoretical understanding of justice. The broader impact is to create a dialogue around understanding FairTrade which can lead to further development of just and equitable trade systemsworldwide.

Keywords: Fair trade, justice, globalization, humanisticeconomics

Amartya Sen in hisIdea of Justice, proposed thatjustice needed to be understood in a broad sense and though institutions couldplay a part in it, it was greater than just the institution itself. "Justice," Sen wrote, "isultimately connected with the way people's lives go, and not merely with thenature of institutions surrounding them." However, I argued that an institution could provide a modelfor justice and be a catalyst for the development of a more just and fairsociety. One such example was theinstitution of Fair Trade.

Fair Trade operatedas an oasis of justice in the tumultuous seas of free market, globalcapitalism. At a time of growing inequalityand unfairness, an institutional model of justice seemed unlikely, yet oneexisted and was growing strong. Senagreed that though “often overlooked or marginalized in the dominant traditionsof contemporary Western discourse…ideas of justice, fairness, responsibility,duty, goodness and rightness have been pursued in many parts of the world”(2009, p. xiv). Fair Trade was anexample of an institutional model which pursued economic and social justice andenvironmental sustainability in many unseen and marginalized parts of theworld.

To date, there hasnot been much Western literature written about Fair Trade as justice. This paper applies Sen’s concepts ofjustice to the rationale for the practice of Fair Trade. The intellectual merit of this paper isto deepen the understanding of justice as defined by Sen and to debate theemergence of Fair Trade as a model of justice. The broader impact is to create a dialog around Fair Tradewhich leads to the development of even more just and equitable trade systemsworldwide.

DEFINING FAIR TRADE

Sen proposed atheory of justice which advanced and promoted global justice through therecognition of our shared humanity and interconnectedness. It echoed many of the objectives andbeliefs shared by institutions and individuals, such as myself, working in FairTrade. Fair Trade was a form ofcommerce developed in 1946 and refined in the 1960s and again in the 1980s byAmerican and European institutions as a way to promote cultural andenvironmental sustainability and bring greater economic return to marginalizedproducers. It was supported byproducers who voluntarily embraced the guidelines of Fair Trade by workingtogether cooperatively, sharing resources, improving product quality, andproviding transparency. Fair Trade was also supported byconsumers who embraced its socially responsible values and/or product qualitiesby choosing to purchase Fair Trade goods.

Rawls saw institutions as being supported by peoplewithin the context of their societies, if people believed that the institutionswere just and fair and others were supporting them, then they would too (1993). It was this long term development oftrust and confidence through a cooperative arrangement which gave aninstitution its strength. Sen agreedwith Rawl’s interpretation of institutions but cautioned against too much focusbeing put on people’s good behavior. He felt that truly just institutions would encompassall, not just the well behaved.

Several Fair Trade institutions provided theinfrastructure for the Fair Trade industry. These included the USA based Fair Trade Federation (FTF)which served artisan producers with locations in the US and Canada, and the Europeanbased, World Fair Trade Federation (WFTO) which represented producer groupsfrom all around the world and had foreign field offices set up in different countries. Fair Trade institutions alsoprovided support and materials to educate consumers about Fair Trade. FairTradeUSA and FairTradeUK promotedFair Trade in European and USA communities through their successful fair TradeTowns and Schools programs. TheFair Labeling Organizations, FLO (also known as FairTrade International), createdstandards for 17 Fair Trade Certified product categories: bananas, cocoa,coffee, cotton, flowers, fresh fruit, honey, juices, nuts and oilseeds, rice,spices and herbs, sports balls, sugar, tea, wine, manufactured clothing, andcomposite food products. FLO workedwith 20 national initiatives and two producer networks to spread Fair TradePrinciples and distribute Fair Trade Certified products. FairTrade USA, formerly worked with FLObut now licenses Fair Trade Certified products for the US market under its ownname (Fair Trade Federation, 2009). Fair Trade producer groups and distributors applied and paidmembership fees to join these institutions. The institutions then used these fees to promote Fair Tradeto consumers and internally support members though the development of salesopportunities, business and technical assistance, trade show attendance,networking, and Fair Trade advocacy.

The primary focus of Fair Trade was to improve thelives of the most disadvantaged people in developing countries through marketaccess (Nicholls & Opal, 2006). It was a broad, expansive, long term vision which incorporated not justproducers but communities and consumers as well. In Fair Trade, trade was the means by which the end, theimprovement of lives, was achieved. The various institutions working in regulating Fair Trade hadspecific guidelines that participants followed to ensure full fairness orjustice. These varied from one institutionto the next but all include aspects of transparency, fair wages, technical assistance,access to credit, long-term trade relationships, and environmentalsustainability.

“Institutionalchange and policy reform,” wrote Sen on the forward to a 2002 Oxfam tradereport, “can radically alter the prevailing levels of inequality and poverty,without wrecking the global economy.” Oxfam was an international confederation of 15 organizations workingtogether to find solutions to poverty and injustice. They were very active in the development of producer projectsfor Fair Trade sales (Oxfam, 2012).

EXPERIENCINGJUSTICE....

******* (This is just an excerpt from the first few pages - the full 20 page journal article is undergoing peer review for publication) *******

Authoring White Papers

2012-01-19T07:40:00.005-05:00

As an acacemic working in Fair Trade, I have been writing academic papers presenting much detail on different aspects of Fair Trade in reation to its effect on the quality of life of women, the degree of justice it brings to producers, the economic valididty of such a model of trade, and the many ways in which it can be interpreted and understood and which way may be is fairer or more just.

This is important work in deepening the understanding and possibilities of Fair Trade, especially in these times of change and reconfiguration within the Fair Trade industry.

I have been touching upon issues such as power, justice, poverty, capabilities, human development, management, feminism, economic development, social justice, indigenous knowledge, intercultural management.

And writing for academic journals in the fields of Feminist Economics, Management, Business Ethics, Human Development, Economic Development, and Social Economics.

The following are a series of introductions to journal articles which have recently been presented at national and regional Economic Conferences and are currently undergoing peer review for publication in several academic journals. I welcome comments and feedback.

I will continue to post new articles and papers here as well.

I am currently preparing for my next round of research in the Andes region to examine the difference in how Fair Trade is experienced by families and whether or not there is a difference if the primary person working in Fair Trade is a man or woman. I will also be examining the difference that government plays as I compare Fair Trade Andean women in Bolivia to those in Peru - working in the same industry and from the same ethnic group. The results of this research will be published in future papers and will be a part of an interdisciplinary textbook I am writing on Fair Trade, Justice, and Feminism.

Thank you for visiting. I hope you find this blog useful and interesting.

Help keep the “Fair” in Fair Trade

2011-12-04T22:47:00.001-05:00

I recently finished a five-collegetour with indigenous leader, Emilia Laime, talking about her participation inFair Trade and the challenges of living in Bolivia, one of South America’seconomically poorest countries (though spiritually rich). Fair Trade is a form of social andeconomic justice supported by Fair Trade instructions which provide theinfrastructure for producer members and consumers to engage in a more just andfair trade. Fair Trade guaranteesa fair wage, good working conditions, and environmental and communityprotection on all levels of production. It appeals to consumers’ rational need to help others and competes inthe same free market as conventional, non-fair trade goods.

Laime, a Fair Trade producer, criedover the climate change induced drought, a permanent condition caused by themelting of Bolivia’s global glaciers, the struggles for recognition byindigenous women, and the woes of poverty in a country with an infant mortalityrate almost seven times higher than that of the US. And she sold product. Luscious, hand knit, Fair Trade, alpaca a sweaters that only could be purchasedby North Americans and Europeans. The sweaters were too expensive for the knitters themselves to buy. The Bolivian women knit in acrylic fortheir children and export the native raised, high quality, alpaca to the richermarkets in the US and Europe. Bolivianshave recently have been doing the same with their quinoa, a hearty, nativegrain which contains a complete protein. New Fair Trade quinoa export demands have raised the price of quinoa sohigh that it can no longer be purchased in the local markets. This, like the ethanol demand for corn,can lead to food security issues. Fair Trade does not recognize food security.

Export sales, however, are alifeline for many impoverished producers, and women who have little opportunityor access to the wage market. A doctoralresearch study I conducted in Bolivia in 2010, found that Laime and other womenliker her working in Fair Trade reported important earnings for their family, financialstability, skills development, and increased self esteem from their Fair Tradeparticipation. Fair Trade providedthem with a first step into the wage economy and gave women the skills andexperience to be successful in other businesses as well.

Since 1996 I have been working inFair Trade as a business owner (www.kusikuy.com), academic, doctoral researcher,and consultant. I have helped tofound Fair Trade Towns (including Brattleboro, VT) and Universities (KeeneState College is well on its way) and educate thousands on the meaning andbenefits of Fair Trade. I advocatefor the producers who are often the ones left out of the conversation. They could be considered"invisible" except they are so easily seen. Their faces areprominently displayed with their goods. However they are mute. There is no mechanism for producers to directly participate in US FairTrade institutions, even though it's their sweat and labor which make theproducts that are sold to comfortable consumers, under the auspices of theseinstitutions. Many Fair Trade websitesare peppered with images of unwashed farmers in their work clothes who organizationsclaim to "help" and "support." Why do the farmers need to be portrayed like this? Can’t they be given time to wash up anddress nicely for a photo that gives them the dignity and respect theydeserve? Would anyone want to be photographed in theirdirty work clothes and then have that image used to represent them and theircompany?

FairTradeUSA (FTUSA) is the largestFair Trade certifier in the US and dominates the US’s $2.3 billion Fair Trademarket. They are all about makingFair Trade accessible and have recently unveiled plans to launch an aggressiveFT4U campaign, which includes the scaling down of their certification standardsto accommodate producers whom did not meet the previously established standards;mainly large coffee plantation owners. This has caused an uproar in the Fair Trade industry, andresulted in FTUSA severing ties from the World Fair Trade Organization(WFTO) and the Fair LabelingOrganization (FLO) which they were formally an umbrella organization of. FTUSA even had the audacity to recentlysend out a fund raising request to help these farmers. Perhaps it is in anticipation of all ofthe FT farmers they will be putting out of business.

There is currently a glut of Fairtrade coffee on the market and has been for years. Every single Fair Trade coffee farmer I have personallyspoken with in the past two years, from Nicaragua, Peru, Bolivia, Honduras,Ecuador, and the Dominica Republic, reported the same thing. They cannot sell all of their FairTrade coffee. There is not enoughmarket for it. Anywhere from 20-40% of their Fair Trade coffee harvests arebeing dumped on the conventional market as conventional coffee, because thereis not enough market for their Fair Trade production. Yet FTUSA says they must expand their certification to includeplantations in order to grow the FT market. Grow it where? It is already oversaturated. Adding plantation coffee will just knock out the already strugglingcooperatives who need more market access not more competition.

Each of the coffee farmers I spoke withfelt disempowered and mistrustful of the Fair Trade system. Even the women producers I have beenworking with for 15 years questioned the fairness of Fair Trade. This is because the Fair Trade industrydemands transparency and obedience from Fair Trade producers but provides none back. There is no transparency provided tothe producers about product mark ups, sales, the treatment of retail storestaff, the roles and salaries of intermediaries and wholesalers, yet Fair Tradeproducers need to make all of that and more visible to buyers and consumers. They need to post earnings to communityfunds, keep elaborate records, and are forced to work together cooperatively,wither they want to or not.

Imagine this from a USperspective. The US dependsheavily on export sales. But nowthere is a new export standard for US products. To participate in this lucrative market, each US companywould need to be certified by having a foreign buyer or assessor arrive anddemand that all sales, price setting, salaries, earnings and investments, bemade transparent. They woulddictate how earnings are spent and what prices should be. To work like this wouldbe demoralizing, demeaning, and would cause tremendous strife amongst employeestoo.

Now FTUSA has further insultedfarmers by proposing to give work to the same competition, the haciendas andlarge coffee plantations, that Fair Trade was set up to protect farmers from inthe first place. Frankly, we inthe industry are shocked. appalled and horrified at what FTUSA is proposing todo. The “we” includes the UnitedStudents for Fair Trade, Equal Exchange – the largest and one of the first FairTrade coffee cooperatives and importers in the US, the Fair Trade Federation,the World Fair Trade Organization, and FairTradeUK. I personally do not know anyone in the Fair Trade industrywho is in support of what FTUSA is doing. Even their own farmers and cooperatives are speaking out against them.

It is also unfair for theconsumer. Already bombarded bygreenwashing, the false association of a company with positive social andenvironmental causes, the last thing a consumer needs is to doubt the fairnessof Fair Trade itself. WhatFair Trade needs is right now is more fairness, not less.

Fair Trade needs to be exactlythat, fair trade. If anything itneeds to be fairer that it already is, with equal representation of producersin Fair Trade institutions and more room for producer input and power. The World Fair Trade Organization isalready doing this and has recently changed their board to be made up of equal numbersof members and producers.

FTUSA has done a tremendous jobdeveloping and promoting Fair Trade in the US. They have helped to build aninteresting idea into a multi-billion dollar industry. They have helped to support schools,communities and citizen groups in understanding and accessing Fair Trade. They have brought in producers, createdcontests, provided resources, and hosted conferences and speaker series. Fair Trade would not be the commonlyknown term it is in the US today if it were not for the unrelenting and forwardthinking of work of FTUSA. Theidea of further expanding Fair Trade needs to be a decision made together. Though FTUSA has provided mechanismsfor participation on their web site through the development of a tri-lingualforum. I encourage all to visitand participate in these tools: http://fairtradeusa.org/certification/standards.

These tools, however, do not seemto go far enough in ensuring that all voices are heard, given power and deemedimportant in this critical time of change. The difficult part is the feeling of urgency. It is believed that once Fair Tradestandards are lowered to accept plantation production, it will be very hard toreverse the damage. FTUSA hasgiven people until December 30th to provide feedback on their proposed openingof Fair trade. There is also an electronic forum and an e-mail address (standards@fairtradeusa.org) torespond to. All can be foundtowards the bottom of their web page. How Fair do you think Fair Trade should be? Lets occupy Fair Trade and let ourvoices be heard. After all, it isonly fair that all should know what is really happening and what we are allthinking. And we only have a shorttime to do so.

2011-11-30T21:26:00.001-05:00

Tamara Stenn of KUSIKUY Dicusses Fair Trade and High Quality Products

Written by Robin Wilding October 31, 2011

From: http://www.fashion-schools.org/articles/tamara-stenn-kusikuy-dicusses-fair-trade-and-high-quality-products

Most fashion designers' passion leads them to a job in the fashion industry; Tamara Stenn's passion however led her to Bolivia. By way of the Peace Corps Tamara was sent to South America, where she fell in love with the country, and a pack of alpaca knitters she met in the Bolivian Andes. Upon returning home she earned a Masters degree in Intercultural Management, and latched onto a fair-trade ideology. This combination of Andean love and a fair-trade focused education melded and became her career.
She quickly started a fierce fashion line of knitwear called KUSIKUY (which means 'make yourself happy' in Quecha, a 5,000-year-old Andean language). Tamara currently runs KUSIKUY, a business consisting of customer service staff, in-counter coordinators, 100 Bolivian knitters and numerous Alpaca herders in South America. The team is very proud of their in-country partners, KUSIKUY “knitters are some of the highest paid knitters in the country,” says Claudia Valdez, KUSIKUY in-country coordinator. “We treat the knitters well. We give them training, financing, and anything else they need to succeed. In return they produce the finest knits I have ever seen.”

While this business model may seem a little too idealistic, this entrepreneurial, fair-trade venture is succeeding based on its high-quality products, extremely dedicated staff and by capitalizing on the current building trend in America of buying fair trade products.
For our readers looking to break into the ethical fashion industry Tamara is committed to spreading the entrepreneurial spirit and for this reason KUSIKUY actively hires interns (on-site or virtual). They even compensate them with a 5% commission on sales of their designs (and a free sample of their design after it goes to production for their portfolio).

Always one to share the wealth (of knowledge and otherwise) Tamara jumped at the chance to share her company's success story with our aspiring entrepreneurial fashionista readers:
What inspired you to get into the fair trade or ethical fashion industry?
The wonderful, amazingly skilled knitters I met while living as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia and the fabulous qualities of the rare, local alpaca yarn. The skills and the materials were so perfect together - it was eco-couture fashion waiting to happen.
What type of education did it take to get you where you are today?
Lots of reading, meetings, visits, observation, knitting classes, and listening. I'm the company owner and job coordinator. My knitters knew how to knit and the high end materials (European-quality alpaca) were there. I knew marketing, communications, management and Spanish. I needed to learn knitwear, fashion design, and the fashion industry. I did that through reading WWD, knitting magazines, attending industry shows, visiting with buyers and designers, talking with customers, and befriending US knitting shops.
How has your career path progressed over the years?
Wonderfully! I do all I love to do. I love working with designers, the creativity of their work. We work with clients from all over the world, but mostly from NYC. I'm from NY myself and love the NYC market and being so close to downtown Manhattan (we're located in Vermont - 3 hours away from NYC). The knitters have pieces that have been sold in Barneys. They are very proud of their work, and enjoy knitting new designs for the fashion designers.
What is your favorite part of working in the ethical fashion business?
All of it. But mostly that moment when the first sample is made. It's so transformative to see the sketch, colors, stitch samples, all come together in a final product. It's exciting. Our sampling is very accurate and usually the first sample is the final product. So when that first sample is done, it's exciting seeing a finished design. It is also a sigh of relief when we complete an order and have it delivered on time, the knitters paid, and everyone feeling satisfied in their work. It's a year long endeavor - with sampling starting in October/November, the runway shows in January/February, orders arriving in April/May, and delivery in August/September. The women I work with are indigenous Quechua and Aymara Bolivians we always have a celebration at the end of the year to thank Pachamama (the Andean earth mother) for work well done!
What advice would you give to aspiring fashionistas?
Pay attention to detail, know your materials (i.e. alpaca has lovely drape and is a durable, lightweight yarn–so design for that), stay organized (having labels and buttons ready early saves assembly time and costs in the end).
What schools does your company generally recruit new hires from?
We produce for designers, we do not hire designers.
Do you think there is an overall increasing or decreasing need for people in the fashion industry?
There is an increasing need for eco-fashionistas, people who will take the extra time to more meaningfully source their production and learn the skills of the people they producing with. Our knitters know over 30 different hand knitting stitches - though we are rarely asked to use them.
What designer(s) or brand(s) influenced you the most as an artist?
Carolyn Preibe from ULURU was one of the the first fashion designers we worked with. She is fantastic in understanding alpaca and designing pieces specifically for that fiber. Bolivian designer, Beatrice Canedo Patino - "the queen of alpaca" - has also been a wonderful inspiration for us.
Which skills do you consider to be most critical for a career in fashion?
Being open minded, paying attention to detail, staying on top of a job - responding quickly to questions and being able to make decisions.
What is the hardest part for you about working in the industry?
The fickleness of it. Well produce beautiful alpaca knits for a customer one year and then the next year they are onto organic cotton, or chunky wool. We specialize in alpaca and do not knit cotton or wool (no access to quality materials) so we do not work with them again, or for a longer while.
What perks do you receive working in the fashion industry?
I always have wonderful sweaters and I love traveling to Bolivia and spending time with the knitters. We go every year.
What do you foresee for the future of ethical fashion?
I just see it getting bigger and bigger. We are all humans and have an innate need to respect and care for each other. With social media, the world is smaller. We now know much more about who we work with. It is hard for our spirits to knowingly work with people in exploitative conditions, and to be a part of that exploitation. Fair Trade, gives designers a new option. They can work with people in an ethical environment and know the workers are respected and well cared for. The products are also more carefully made with love and gratitude.
Check out more interviews at The Fashion-Schools.org Interview Series.

2011-11-30T21:20:00.001-05:00

Fair Trade Designers.
This is a great interview of KUSIKUY director Tamara, speaking about opportunities for deisgners to build their Fair Trade portfolios. http://www.fashion-schools.org/articles/tamara-stenn-kusikuy-dicusses-fair-trade-and-high-quality-products

2011-11-17T21:30:00.001-05:00

FAIR TRADE KEENE STATE COLLEGE
‎2nd Annual Fair Faire - Almost $2,000 of Fair Trade goods sold in less than 4 hours. Way to go KSC! And who ever said that college students don't support Fair Trade? KSC does!

Tamara Stenn, KUSIKUY founder and director, is also a professor of Integrative Quantitative Literacy: Measuring Fair Trade and is the faculty adviser of the Keene State College (New Hampshire, USA) Fair Trade Club. The campus is quickly working towards being declared the first Fair Trade college in New Hampshire.

2011-11-07T14:32:00.000-05:00

We don't have to be victims of the 1% - taking the economy into our own hands, using creative collaboration, we can achieve a quality of life that is not monetary driven but rather community supported...
My latest article about Freecycle - appeared here: http://www.commonsnews.org/site/site04/story.php?articleno=4322&page=1

It is presented here below too:

I was moving in with my boyfriend, and we needed more space for my office and two children. His dark, dusty attic was piled high with old baby cribs, moth-eaten blankets, outdated law books, and squirrel-infested tchotchkes.
The attic was a dirty, scary mess. But it was space. I decided to renovate it, and I called a waste disposal company to arrange for a Dumpster to be brought in. It would cost more than $1,000, they told me before they refused the service.
I was flabbergasted: a company saying “no” to a paid job? They were firm. I needed to post my items on Freecycle first, then I could pay them to collect anything that was still left.
Freecycle is a free, nonprofit network of email lists started in 2003 by Arizona’s Deron Beal. Members of the list can receive offers of donations by email.
One needs to have something to offer to give away to join, but once in, members can request items they are seeking and, of course, accept others’ offers.
Instead of hoping to find, or get rid of, an item curbside, now people can swap from the ease of their own home. Plus items would not be ruined as they sat outside waiting for a new home.
I was dubious. Who would ever want what was in the attic? And what exactly was in the attic anyway?
I went upstairs with a clipboard and began making a list and posted it on Freecycle.
The cribs and mattresses went first; there was actually a line of people wanting them. Other things started going, too: an old-fashioned telephone with a broken wire, a dot-matrix printer, chipped pottery and crocks, boxes of old, dusty books.
I was amazed.
After just two weeks, I was down to the old, squirrel-eaten roll of threadbare rugs. “No one would ever want these,” I thought.
But I was wrong. A gentleman cheerfully arrived at my home and dragged the massive rolls of soiled carpet down from my third-floor attic into his truck.
My curiosity got the best of me. I had to ask what he planned to do with them. I pointed out that they were soiled and in poor shape. (I had noted this in the Freecycle posting, too.)
The gentleman laughed and explained that he was a hunter, and rugs like these were perfect for insulating his hunting cabin in the winter.

* * *

Now, I was on the list. Dozens of freecycle announcements filled my mailbox daily. People were giving away furniture, pets, tools, clothes, toys, camping gear. It was wonderful.
My children got the cutest furry ferrets, I got houseplants, we stocked up on arts and crafts supplies for the winter, and we continued to clean out the house.
The best part about offering products for sale on Freecycle is that, as part of the Freecycle rules, the takers will come to your place and haul it out themselves. That has been a great help to me when items are bulky and heavy, like those awful rugs.
The takers have turned out to be wonderful local people. They have always been so grateful and thankful, though I felt more grateful for them taking the items off my hands and not making me haul them to the dump.
A young lady came and took some old metal sign posts that we had unearthed in an excavation and gave me a glass of freshly picked dahlias. It has been great fun visiting people who had items for pickup, too. We made friends with a houseful of birds when picking up some picture frames.

* * *

Beal estimates that 30 to 40 tons of products are traded daily on Freecycle. He started the organization when his Tuscon, Ariz. trash recycling company began receiving non-recyclable, but useable, products from the businesses he was serving.
Rather than hauling the old computers and office furniture to the landfill, Beal began calling around the community looking for homes for the unwanted goods. He then began emailing friends.
The email messages were forwarded around the community, and thus began Freecycle. “I just sent the information out to my friends and 10 to 15 nonprofits and said, ‘Spread the word,’” he told Christian Science Monitor writer Tim King. “You get free stuff, and you get to give away the junk in your garage.”
Within two years, Freecycle grew to be a global network of more than 900,000 members. There are Freecycle communities in Germany, Japan, and Australia. In the United States, Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas, have the highest number of members.
Today, the Freecycle website claims, “the Freecycle concept has spread to over 85 countries, where there are thousands of local groups representing millions of members.” As a result, the organization and its local chapters are keeping more than 500 tons of product a day out of landfills.
These products, they say, amount to “five times the height of Mount Everest in the past year alone, when stacked in garbage trucks.”
Freecycle’s mission is to “build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources and eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community.”
Operating on a budget of just than $200,000 a year, it seems Freecycle is doing just that. I know my attic, wallet, and heart have benefitted from Freecycle and the wonderful people I have met through using the service.
The Windham Solid Waste Management District has also benefitted, as it was saved from a Dumpster full of “good stuff” that I almost dumped on them.
For more information about Freecycle or to join Brattleboro Freecycle, visit the website.

Build Clean, Caring Communities with Freecycle

2011-10-23T22:25:00.001-04:00

I was moving in with my boyfriendand we needed more space for my office and two children. His dark, dusty attic was piled highwith old baby cribs, moth eaten blankets, outdated law books, and squirrelinfested chatckas. It was a dirty,scary mess. But it was space. I decided to renovate it into usable space and called the wastedisposal company, Goodenough Rubbish Removal, toarrange for a dumpster to be brought in. It would cost over $1,000 they told me and then refused theservice. I was flabbergasted, acompany saying “no” to a paid job? They were firm. I needed topost my items on freecycle first, then I could pay them to collect anythingthat was still left.

Freecycle(freecycle.org) is a free listserve and non profit started in 2003 by Arizona’sDeron Beal. It is joined through google groups. One needs to have something to offer to give away in orderto join but once they are in they can request items they are seeking and ofcourse take others’ offers as well. Instead of hoping to find, or get rid of, an item curbside, now peoplecould swap from the ease of their own home. Plus items would not be getting ruined as they sat outsidewaiting for a new home.

I wasdubious. Who would ever want whatwas in the attic and what exactly was in the attic anyway? I went upstairs with a clipboard andbegan making a list and posted it online. The cribs and mattresses went first, there was actually a line of peoplewanting them. Other things startedgoing too, an old fashioned telephone with a broken wire, a dot matrix printer,chipped pottery and crocks, boxes of old, dusty books. I was amazed.

Afterjust two weeks, I was down to the old squirrel-eaten roll of threadbarerugs. No one would ever want theseI thought. But I was wrong. A gentleman cheerfully arrived at myhome and dragged the massive rolls of soiled carpet down from my third floorattic into his truck. My curiositygot the best of me, I had to ask what he planned to do with them. I pointed out that they were soiled andin poor shape (I had noted this in the freecycle posting too). The gentleman laughed and explainedthat he was a hunter and rugs like these were perfect for insulating hishunting cabin in the winter.

Now I was on the list. Daily, dozens of freecycleannouncements filled my mailbox. People were giving away furniture, pets, tools, clothes, toys, campinggear... It was wonderful. My children got the cutest furryferrets, I got houseplants, we stocked up on arts and crafts supplies for thewinter, and continued to clean out the house. The best part about offering products for sale on freecycle,was that the takers would come to your place and haul it out themselves. It is part of the Freecycle rules. And it was a great help to me whenitems were bulky and heavy, like those awful rugs.

The takers turned out to bewonderful local people. They werealways so grateful and thankful though I felt more grateful for them taking theitems off my hands and not making me haul them to the dump. A young lady came and took some oldmetal sign posts we had unearthed in an excavation and gave me a glass offreshly picked dahlias. It wasgreat fun visiting people who had items for pick up too. We made friends with a houseful ofbirds when picking up some picture frames.

Beal estimates that 30-40 tons of products are traded dailyon freecycle. He started freecyclewhen his Tuscon, Arizona trash recycling company began receivingnon-recyclable, but useable products from the businesses he was serving. Rather than hauling the old computersand office furniture to the landfill, Beal began calling around the communitylooking for homes for the unwanted goods. He then began e-mailing friends . The e-mail messages were forwarded around the community and thus beganfreecycle. "I just sent theinformation out to my friends and 10 to 15 nonprofits and said, 'Spread theword,'" he told Christian ScienceMonitor writer Tim King. "You get free stuff, and you get to give awaythe junk in your garage."

Within two years, Freecycle grew to be a globalnetwork of more than 900,000 members. There are Freecycle communities in Germany, Japan, and Australia. In the United States Portland, Oregon,and Austin, Texas, have the highest number of members. Today, the Freecycle webstieclaims, “the Freecycle concept has spread to over 85 countries, wherethere are thousands of local groups representing millions of members.” As a result, freecycle is keeping over500 tons of product a day out of landfills. This, they say, amounts to, “fivetimes the height of Mt. Everest in the past year alone, when stacked in garbagetrucks.”

Freecycle’s mission is to, “build a worldwide gifting movement thatreduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfillswhile enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a largercommunity." Operatingon a budget of just than $200,000 a year, it seems freecycle is doing justthat. I know my attic, wallet andheart has benefitted from Freecycle and the wonderful people (larger community)I met through it. The WindhamSolid Waste Management District also benefitted as they were saved from a dumpsterfull of “good stuff” that I almost accidently dumped on them. For more information about Freecycle orto join our local yahoo group please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brattleborofreecycle/

Economic Models of Fair Trade

2011-10-23T22:21:00.001-04:00

Here’s someeconomic models of Fair Trade from my thesis. I would be happy to continue to make models based ondifferent Fair Trade arguments and understanding. If someone would like to suggest a few or talk about this more, Iwould be happy to work on it. Iwork so much in Fair Trade, sometimes it is hard for me to imagine how muchsomeone might know (or not) – and where to start with a model... Send me suggestions and we'll see what happens.

Supply (S)

Opportunities

Deprivation (F1)

Freedom (F)

Capabilities

Figure1. A Model of the Capabilities Approach

Explanation: This is amodel I made based on the work of Amartya Sen (image did not come across clearly). It should show how Opportunities andCapabilities relate to Freedom. Sen equates freedom with justice. In Fair Trade, producers are able to realize more Capabilities throughskills and management training. They are able to grow their Opportunities through Fair Trade’s marketaccess and sales. This leads to anexpansion of Freedom, and ultimately justice. Thus Fair Trade grows justice. Ideally this is how the Fair Trade model is set up towork. But it does not alwayshappen this way.

If somethinghappens and skills are developed but not the Fair Trade markets (i.e. there isa glut of Fair Trade coffee, or US/European customers are experiencing negativeeconomic growth and not buying as much as they usually do, or a country is atwar), then a producer has grown their Capabilities without realizing Opportunity. They now enter into a place I labeled “Deprivation.” Deprivation is a place where peoplerealize that they are being denied their basic freedoms due to circumstancesoften beyond their control. It is important to note that people know when they arein Deprivation. They are awarethat things are not working out for them in a fair and just way.

The same scenarioholds true for a producer who may have market access (Opportunity) but not theskills or capacity needed for that market (i.e. they can not produce enoughgarments quickly enough for a western client who is buying in bulk for a largechain of stores, or the rains came early and they can not dry the coffeequickly enough to make the container ship date). They have the Opportunity but their Capabilities have notgrown accordingly. The producer inthis scenario would experience increased Opportunity but not increasedCapabilities. They too would enterinto Deprivation.

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Figure 2. Costs forknitting an adult KUSIKUY sweater.

From KUSIKUY Clothing Co., LLC,2011. Adapted with permission.

Fair Trade enables prices to be determined by theproducers and supported by Fair Trade buyers. The KUSIKUY Fair Trade knitters (my company,www.kusikuy.com) price their production in accordance to the model seenabove. This is the pricingstructure they created. Ittranslates to double minimum wage for producers, and an important opportunity forfarm women to enter into the wage market. Fair Trade tends to serve the most underpriviledged of the developignworld, in my case (KUSIKUY) it is the indigenous farm woman (Fig. 2).

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Figure 3. Costs of aFair Trade sweater sold retail in the US.

From T. Stenn, 2011. Adapted with permission.

However (as we discussed at the conference), theretail side of Fair Trade is not at as evenly structured or transparent (Fig.3). Most goods in the US aresold at “keystone” which means a 100% mark-up from the wholesale price. Some retailers mark up their producteven higher than keystone, while others also mark them up less. Sometimes there are multiple levels ofdistribution until the client gets the Fair Trade product (i.e. the raw, green,Fair Trade coffee is purchased and roasted by a wholesale buyer and then soldto a distributor who private labels it for sale at a small coffee house) Thesedistribution steps can result in coffee that is sold for 8 to 10 times itsoriginal Fair Trade market price of $1.26 a pound. Some of these product costs are legitimate costs for services,packaging and marketing, though others are added on because the “ethicalconsumer” market will tolerate the higher costs.

Consumers assume that a higher Fair Trade retail pricemeans that more money is going to producers. It is rational for an ethical consumer to purchase a moreexpensive product against their own economic self interests because of thesatisfaction (personal gain) they receive in being able to “give back” and helpothers through their Fair Trade purchasing.

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Two Last Things…

Fair Trade ismade up Four Pillars: Producers,Consumers, Institutions, and Governments. All four have to work together in full transparency, reciprocity andtrust for Fair trade to truly be fair. I don’t have a model for this yet – but I can make one…

I also have aGame Theory scenario for producer support in their home country – this wouldfit into a feminist argument in Fair Trade - look for this coming soon!

Welcome to THE COMMONS -- News and Views for Windham County, Vermont

2011-09-29T18:31:00.000-04:00

Time Trade is another great tool to help build a sustainable economy. Here's an article examining my recent experience with it.

Welcome to THE COMMONS -- News and Views for Windham County, Vermont

SEEKING DONATIONS

2011-09-15T06:55:00.003-04:00

SEEKING DONATIONS (tax deductible)

I'm now fundraising for $5,000 (to cover travel expenses) for my post doc research.

I'm returning to Bolivia (and Peru) in May 2012 to further explore the effects of trade on indigenous women - through comparative studies: Peru vs Bolivia, informal sector vs fair trade, and to look at a larger group of knitters to see if my initial findings still hold true.

All will be published in a book I'm writing this summer. Donations will cover travel costs.

Donors will be thanked in the book and receive a signed copy(s). Any amount is appreciated $20, $50, $100...? and tax deductible. Please send payments to Ayllu, Inc., PO Box 2154, Brattleboro, VT 05303.

Please pass this along - thanks!

More information on Ayllu: http://www.jadejourneys.org/ayllu/test.html

Meet a KUSIKUY Knitter

2011-09-12T21:05:00.003-04:00

KUSIKUY is proud to announce that Emilia Laime will be visiting universities in the US in November - sharing her experiences with Fair Trade, climate change, community organizing and women's rights. See her at:
Keene State College, Keene, NH http://sites.keene.edu/symposium2011/schedule/
Antioch, Keene, NH http://sites.keene.edu/symposium2011/schedule/
Sienna College: http://www.siena.edu
And more...
Special thanks to Keene State College for funding Emilia's travel.

Fair Trade Towns » brattleboro-vt

2011-09-12T20:34:00.000-04:00

Fair Trade Towns » brattleboro-vt

Do you want to talk Fair Trade? Meet at Mocha Joe's on Main St., Brattleboro VT to talk and plan. Wednesdays 8:45am - 9:45am. Brattleboro, VT is the 2nd Fair Trade Town in the US.

Buy Local - Buy Fair

2011-09-12T20:03:00.001-04:00

Buy Local, Buy Fair is the new theme for our 2012 KUSIKUY Collection. The catalog photo shoot took place at the Brattleboro Farmers' Market, where farmers such as Lilac Ridge, Duttons, and Dwight Miller sell their local, organic produce. Learn about our local market here: http://www.brattleborofarmersmarket.com/ Visit http://www.kusikuy.com to browse KUSIKUY's newest eco-ethical designs for 2012.

KUSIKUY, always Fair Trade, links global communities - farmer to farmer and global citizens - people to people. As we understand and support each other, we move closer to creating a just and fair world.

Our newest product, THE ALPACA WRAPPER, is a celebration of the whimsy and thrift of the KUSIKUY knitters. Hand knit of of extra alpaca yarn, it is an eco-alternative to paper coffee cup sleeves. It can be saved and reused hundreds of time and naturally felts and improves with age. The ALPACA WRAPPER keeps beverages hot and hands cool. It also doubles as a wrist warmer and a great conversation starter.

Learn more at http://www.kusikuy.com/product.php?productid=16734&cat=282&page=1

Trading time instead of a dime

2011-08-30T09:12:00.000-04:00

Trade can be fair in many ways, even within our own local communities. Here's a recent experience I had with a different type of "fair trade."

I needed some light electrical work done in my house, the installation of a new closet light, porch light and outdoor outlet. I called a local electrician and received a quote of $65 an hour with the promise of a few hours of work plus materials. Hmmm. Then I went to Brattleboro Time trade and listed my electrical installation needs. Within a few days two local men offered to do the work, for free. Well almost for free. They would be getting paid in time.

However much time it took them to do the job, plus travel (I live in Marlboro), was how much time I would deposit into their online time bank account. The fact that I recently joined the Brattleboro Time Trade and had less than two hours in my account (for attending the orientation meeting and setting up my online account) did not matter. Like the rest of the country, I was entering into a deficit and the Time Bank was willing to take me on.

Both men were from my local community and one was a semi-retired electrical engineer. I took up the engineer’s offer and once he returned from his trip to Cuba and I from Canada, he was in my home wiring, drilling, and making that electrical magic happen. But it was not just electrical magic which was happening, a change took place. He was not just a contractor to me. I was not paying him money for his services. So the informal niceties, hoping he does a good quick job, and “let me know how I can help” while the dollar meter is ticking in my head and I’m secretly hoping this guy leaves quickly so my bill is not so high, does not happen. Instead there is a feeling of camaraderie, wonder, and appreciation.

I think to myself, “this person is here to help me.” This was a person who I only casually knew in town and now he was in my home doing me a big favor. The time I was paying did have some of the same feeling as money, because often I feel that I do not have enough time – just like sometimes I feel I do not have enough money. I did find myself on several occasions calculating the time cost of the job and wondering how I would ever re-pay it, but it was a different feeling. I felt equal in our ability to share and work together. Money creates great inequality, someone might have more than someone else, it is hard to change that. With time, it is always there, albeit however busy we are. Each day we start out with 24 hours - every day guaranteed, no matter what our educational background or socio-economic condition, the time is there. We all begin with the same 24-hour deposit into our daily account. This creates a feeling of abundance, rather than the feelings of scarcity, which monetary funds (or a lack of) bring.

So the relationship shifted. Though I had planned to do my own work when he was working, I found I could not concentrate. My curiosity was killing me. Who was this person? Why was he in the Time Trade? What had he traded? (a ride to the airport) How had it been? How did he learn to work with electricity? Suddenly I was intrigued. I wondered over to chat and we chatted for hours. It was delightful. We found we were alma matter from the same grad school (SIT), shared a love of travel, laughed over the trials and tribulations of both having been Brattleboro landlords, and had similar political views. The job took hours longer than I had thought it would. I made him snack, we shared lunch together out on the porch, I offered him vegetables from our garden, played with his dog. It was great. I felt like I made a new friend.

After five hours had passed, “we” were almost finished. I had begun to feel a responsibility for the job too. I felt bad about “using up” so much of his time, though he assured me it was OK, it was what he wanted to be doing. My closet finally had a light, the porch light was wired and just about ready to go. He would have to come back to finish, we had about an hour left. I found myself looking forward to his return as much as I was looking forward to being able to finally see my front steps at night.

Researching Time Trade I learned that it was dreamed up in the 1980s by Antioch law School founder, Dr. Edgar S. Cahn, as he recovered from a heart attack at age 46. He saw Time Dollars as a “new currency” which would provide a solution to the massive cuts in government spending on social welfare which were taking place then (as is now). It was a process, but the idea evolved to become a growing global model. There are now Time Banks in Canada, Chile, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

The US Time trade mission, according to their web site, www.timebanks.org, is about rebuilding communities through economic and social system reform, human empowerment and a contribution to each other’s well-being. This is summed up as, “strengthening communities through reciprocity.” The language was familiar. I had just finished my doctoral thesis on the Effects of Fair Trade on Bolivia’s Indigenous Women. While the US Fair Trade model helped to bring greater social and economic justice to these women, it was a hollow monetary benefit. There was something more which was missing.

Bolivia recently re-wrote their constitution centered around the indigenous concept of “Suma Qamana” or “good living” (as opposed to the “good life” which US people are thought to pursue – better cars, bigger houses, more things). Good living was associated with well-being – it was having community, support and food, getting basic needs met both physically and socially. This, claimed the Bolivians, was achieved through reciprocity. Until now, I found this hard to define.

I re-read the Time Trade mission; “strengthening communities through reciprocity.” There was that elusive word again. I had understood it as a vague “give and take.” The Brattleboro Time Trade site explained reciprocity more deeply. While reciprocity was a “two-way street,” they elaborated that, “people that only receive end up feeling dis-empowered, as though they have nothing to offer. People that only give often gain an inflated sense of their own importance. Reciprocity leads to mutual respect.”

I remembered feeling guilty as I saw my poor Time Trade helper sweating as he worked on my porch light, black jeans and shirt on a hot summer day. I quickly ran to my garden to see if there were vegetables I could offer him (he did not cook). I realize now, I had been trying to counter the feeling of “dis-empowernment” I felt at the moment, as I solely received. This was the same feeling the knitters felt as they were well paid for their work through the Fair Trade model. The knitters were grateful for their monetary earnings, but like me, they wanted to be able to give something back, to engage in reciprocity and develop that sense of mutual respect.

And so on a quiet Sunday morning I awoke with these thoughts drifting in from an already forgotten dream. Waking up while tapping on my keypad, the thoughts solidified to this article. Now two hours later, I feel a sense of awe at our great community and the things we bring to each other. The Time Banks web page is peppered with the names of local supporters, SoverNet, Post Oil Solutions, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, New England Grassroots Environmental Fund, Delta Energy Group, Vermont Community Foundation, the Thomas Thompson Trust and many more. On a personal level, I feel I just found a new friend in our community and in the Time Bank and the people who are a part of it. I also feel a welling sense of generosity, gratefulness, support and caring as I realize that this is a community that can be relied upon. After living here ten years, Brattleboro still brings surprises, new faces and wonderful connections. And in the most enjoyable, joyful way, through writing which I love to do, I just earned two hours of time for my Time Bank account.

For more information or to join Time Trade please call 802-246-1699, or visit www. brattlebortimetrade.org, or stop by their office at 15 Grove Street, Brattleboro.

The effects of Fair Trade on indigenous Knitters - abstract

2011-08-18T19:45:00.000-04:00

I examined Fair Trade and its effect on the experiences of Bolivian women knitters within the context of justice as theorized by Amartya Sen.

Sen’s theory of justice revolved around three arguments; justice needed to be broadly understood – encompassing conflicting ideas and experiences; expanding capabilities and opportunities brought greater freedom and more justice; public reasoning and democracy smoothed out justice’s inconsistencies enabling it to be more fully realized.

Fair Trade is held up by four pillars. US and European Fair Trade institutions set the rules and impetus for Fair Trade to take place. Fair Trade producers create goods in accordance to Fair Trade guidelines. Consumers purchase these goods. Governments, policy, and democracy support the space in which this trade is experienced.

Knitters’ own understanding of Fair Trade was captured through field research and ethnographic study. Research tools such as the Talking Stick and Participatory Rural Appraisal were engaged to enable knitters to guide and define the study. The researcher’s 15 years of experience in Fair Trade knitting in Bolivia brought a deep knowledge of the people and customs.

My study found that Fair Trade increased justice for the knitters, to a degree. Women reported positive economic outcomes; growth in self-esteem and leadership skills; and pride in new skills learned. They were challenged by inconsistent orders; stress from deadlines coupled with family responsibilities; and physical ailments - eye strain, repetitive motion injuries, and respiratory ailments - from knitting long hours at home.

I also found, through ethnographic methods, that by taking the time to listen to producers, the negative effects of Fair Trade could be better understood and made more positive. Aligned with Sen’s theory of justice, I found that more engagement by all parties would make Fair Trade more just. This work is significant in that it creates a new understanding of justice and trade and enables women’s voices to be heard.

Knitters and Governance

2011-07-22T01:21:00.002-04:00

Bolivian knitters, formally marginalized by their indigenousness, enjoy the new freedoms they experience through their positive recognition as indigenous people from their government. They are also enjoying the new inclusion of women in government and share pride in the formation of a their new constitutions. Knitters report being hopeful in their new government but day to day living has not changed much. Traditions of male dominance and subordinate roles for women in the home still restrict man women’s access to opportunity (and subsequently freedom and justice), as does the constraints of poverty. Though new social programs help to make school and health care more accessible, additional challenges have been felt with climate change. Agriculture is failing and many rural families are now entering the cities, seeking wage income to offset their agricultural losses. Here migrants live in a hybrid manner, performing labor in the countryside (farming) as well as the city (paid work). Bolivian’s are also lured to cities by easier transportation (access) and better schools for their children (opportunity). Fair Trade knitting, in some instances, offers new arrivals a secure place in which to start their urban lives. In conclusion, there is confusion for knitters as political change has happened so quickly in Bolivia and people are still trying to understand their roles and identity in their country’s new ways of being.

It will be interesting to continue to study Bolivia during this time of extreme transformation. New ministries and programs are being developed and a decentralization of government is taking place as citizen groups are given more power and a role in self governance. The Bolivian government is now focusing on the development of artisan production within its country as a way to offset dependence on raw material exports. This sector is being developed using the CAN Comercio Justo proposed for the Bolivian Constitution and is being headed, in part, by Rodriguez and the Ministry of Productive Development.

Conclusion

The effect of Fair Trade on Bolivia’s indigenous knitters is the expansion of their capabilities and opportunities, and subsequently freedoms and justice, through the development of income generation, empowerment, and skills building. This comes at a cost. Knitters are subject to poor working conditions, little social support and time poverty. Never-the-less, the benefits outweigh the challenges. Western Fair Trade continues to grow in popularity though a re-examination of its structure and accessibility needs to be undertaken and changes made in order for it to continue operating in a just manner. Fair Trade as an idea, is becoming a globally embraced concept as governments such as Bolivia’s CAN Comercio Justo and Solitarity Economy expand it into new trade possibilities.

Fair Trade and Governance

2011-07-22T01:17:00.000-04:00

Public reasoning, explains Sen, is key in advancing justice. The ability for all people – producers, consumers, institutions, and governments - to openly discuss ideas brings greater understanding and justice. Unfair labor conditions, fluctuating production schedules, women’s time constraints, consumer caution in light of mis-information, all can be openly shared and debated in a global forum through public reasoning. By working together and hearing voices not easily heard, more understanding and appreciation of each others’ situations is created leading to a much more effective resolution of injustice than a code of laws, for example, and coercive legislation could achieve. Discussion takes time and space and value needs to be lent to this.

Public reasoning is also dependent upon free and open media. Free and open media has been greatly compromised in the US (and globally) through media consolidation, the ownership of the press by a few large corporations, the influence of advertising in news, a decline the quality of news, and a lack of diversity in reporters and news covered. What was once called propaganda is now presented as facts. This has resulted in a misinformed and complacent public, greater consumer mistrust, and an inability of people (especially minority people) to engage in meaningful public reasoning. The quality of life in the US has declined due to a lack of personal freedoms associated with the loss of the free press. Though it seems that new electronic and social media would fill the gap that the US’s compromised press left, there is a lack of cohesion and accuracy in this model too. It is also not accessible by all. Sen stressed that justice needs public reasoning. New ways in which for this to take place on a meaningful, global and local scale need to be explored.

Fair Trade institutions, is was previously noted, can not bring justice on their own. Government and consumers also need to be involved. Bolivia created (with CAN) their own Fair Trade (Comercio Justo) guidelines which are similar to, but go further than, those being promoted by Fair Trade institutions today. CAN Comercio Justo compliments the values of Suma Qamana, (well living) adopted into the Bolivian (and Ecuadorian) constitution. Suma Qamana focus on living in harmony with nature and each other in a shared, non competitive, environment. It compliments the concept of Solidarty Economy which began in South America and is being rapidly embraced by countries around the world. Fair Trade is part to of Comercio Justo which is part of Suma Qamana which is part of Soldiarity Economy – they are all complimentary, interrelated, and international. This resonates with the indigenous way of being, where complex relationships and an openness for collaboration are key values. It is networks like these which create expansiveness, public reasoning, diversity and lead, according to Sen’s interpretations, to a greater realization of justice.

The CAN Comercio Justo goes further than western Fair Trade institutions in defining Fair Trade. They include the important requirement for reciprocity which was missing in the western model. This means that openness and transparency must be shared amongst producers and retailers and that a place for dialogue, discussion, and mutual benefit be built into the trade relationship. CAN Comercio Justo also includes more specific language about the environment, granting human rights to the Pachamama (earth mother goddess). These rights include the right against pollution, genetically modified products, exploitation and the protection of the creatures and plants which are a part of her. Note: The Bolivian constitution also grants human rights to Mother Earth. The United Nations recently adopted Bolivia’s language, renaming Earth Day as Mother Earth Day, recognizing the Pachamama (United Nations, 2010).

The ideas of CAN Comercio Justo and the work of Solidarity Economy, though promising in the study of justice, are still new. It will be interesting to continue to study their implementation and impact to see how they unfold over time.

Fair Trade, Knitters, and Leadership

2011-07-12T07:15:00.002-04:00

Fair Trade, Knitters, and Leadership

Knitting leaders assumed their leadership roles after leaving traditional lifestyles, motivated by the desire to help other women become empowered, independent, and stand up for their rights. All have a common grounding in the indigenous women’s rights group, Bartolina Sisa. Despite common beginnings, there is strong competition and mistrust between knitting leaders, even though they come from an indigenous tradition that strongly support collectivism, solidarity and working together. It seems knitting leaders are behaving in a manner inconsistent with their values and ethics. This is area for further study. A fair trade researcher recently told me a similar situation exists amongst women weaving leaders in Guatemala (though this has not been formally studied). A broader study of leadership amongst Fair Trade women could help to create more understanding of the challenges they face and lead to the development, again, of a more just Fair Trade model. Creating access for knitting leaders in Fair Trade policy development and governance will also help to create more justice in this system.

Knitters as Fair Trade Producers

2011-07-12T07:14:00.005-04:00

Knitters as Producers

The knitters had a bittersweet experience with Fair Trade. One of the greatest impacts Fair Trade had on knitters was the expansion of their capabilities through the development of knitting and organizing skills and the building of self confidence (empowerment). Fair Trade also helped knitters to realize more opportunities through income generation and the power of regular, group meetings (building public reasoning). This growth of capabilities and opportunities led to greater freedom for the women (ability to meet outside of the home, control earnings, and manage the family) and a degree of justice was realized. Knitting participation came at a cost. There were long hours spent in poor working conditions, emotional stress from work overload (time poverty), unsupportive families, competition, and unpredictable and seasonal orders resulting in a lack of steady work. Stability it was found is important for improving one’s Quality of Life and the realization of justice.

Though the majority of knitters reported good economic outcomes, the way they were realized, affected the level of which they were enjoyed. Knitters overwhelmingly had difficulties with a six month payment model for production, even though it helped them to save money and be able to invest into larger things. Ironically, the only group with this practice (the national norm is monthly pay for knitters and the general public) was the sole Fair Trade institution member. This payment structure is in violation of the institutional guidelines of fair pay and transparency. It would be worthwhile to explore this pay system more to understand why and how it came about. Knitting earnings were invested into children’s wellbeing: education and nutrition, as well as household improvements.

The areas that had greatest positive impact on all knitters was the ability Fair Trade brought them to earn income, a leap in self confidence and empowerment, the development of better time management and knitting skills, and the social support gained from participating in knitting groups. The greatest challenges were felt in the economic instability associated with irregular orders, a lack of access to regular pay and transparency in pay scales, stress and family strife caused by the need for time to knit and attend meetings, negative health outcomes including feelings of arthritis in hands and shoulders, vision strain, and respiratory ailments from inhaling yarn dust and fibers, and a general lack of understanding of what Fair Trade was and was supposed to do. It was also noted that Fair Trade did not provide health or employment benefits. Knitters thought these should be a part of Fair Trade too.

Further research is needed to understand if these benefits and challenges are felt by women Fair Traders in other industries and other countries. A deeper understanding of the effects of Fair Trade on indigenous women, can help to create a more just and Fair Trade institutional model. This model can be used as an example for the expansion of Fair Trade into other market sectors influencing government policy, and trade regulation and agreements. This will be further explored in the next section.

Fair Trade Producers

2011-07-12T07:14:00.002-04:00

Fair Trade Producers

Fair Trade benefits non Fair Trade farmers too. Orthodox economic concerns about Fair Trade being a monopsony and causing lesser development to occur amongst non Fair Trade producers have proved unfounded. Modeling Fair Trade as a monopsony shows it creates higher labor rates and price thresholds which benefit all regional producers, Fair Trade and non Fair Trade alike.

According to Sen’s freedom based capabilities approach, Fair Trade leads to greater freedom and the realization of justice. Fair Trade increases a producer’s capability to engage in something they value by teaching them skills they can use to generate an income with (i.e. knit for export). Fair Trade grows opportunities by providing market access and income.

Fair Trade produces important non monetary benefits that are often unrecognized by orthodox economic models. These benefits include a better quality of life, better education and nutrition for children, more positive outlook for self and children, organization and development skills, technical assistance, social support, better price negotiation skills, and medical attention. The use of social premium funds have led to infrastructure and community improvements such as roads, vehicles, schools, and conservation programs, enjoyed by people outside of the Fair Trade system too.

Fair Trade producers though are feeling disenfranchised as large Fair Trade institutions pressure them for more production, yet give them little space to participate in discussions or decision making. Large buyers with questionable trade practices are retailing Fair Trade products causing people to question the double standard of Fair Trade (the producers have to be fair but not the buyer). This erodes Fair Trade’s ability to deliver justice for all.

Women are treaded equally by Fair Trade institutions yet, their lives are quite different than those of men’s. Women suffer from time poverty, having many more hours of work to do a week than men. Their participation in Fair Trade comes at a much larger cost as they also have reproductive labor and household work to balance as well. Women in general, do not have access to decent work; secure, paid, safe labor. Fair Trade does offer a degree of opportunity that many women might not otherwise have. Most women realize agency freedom - the freedom not for one’s own self, but for something seen as important - in the educational opportunities they create for their children. In Bolivia, some women are restricted from participating in Fair Trade by their families. This minimizes Fair Trade’s ability to advance freedom (unless social reasoning is used to reverse the situation – this is discussed in the next section). Bolivians experience a poorer quality of life as compared to other Latin American countries. This is due to Bolivia’s extreme poverty and also effects Bolivian’s access to justice (though recently economic conditions do seem to be improving).

In order for Fair Trade to fully expand justice, the time inequalities in women’s and men’s lives need to be addressed. It is unfair for women to assume the burden of home work while also working in Fair Trade and get the same compensation as a man without these responsibilities. A gender premium paid to Fair Trade women by Fair Trade men, would help to alleviate some of this difference and enable the women to hire household help, or afford the option to work less in Fair Trade to have more time for leisure and home work.

Additional studies of other Fair Trade women artisans throughout different parts of the world are recommended to see if there are other obstacles or challenges in women’s lives that effect their ability to experience justice through Fair Trade. This could be done through Fair Trade Federation memberships and in-country studies. Keeping in mind that 60% of the Fair Trade knitters in this study were not directly affiliated with a Fair Trade institution, a larger comparative study could be done both between Bolivian and Peruvian Fair Trade groups, in institutions and not, to see 1. how different levels of country wealth and investment affect one’s experience of justice and 2. How access and participation in Fair Trade institutions effect one’s experience of justice. (Note: The author worked with Fair Trade knitting groups in Peru for a few years and is familiar with knitters in that country too.)

Knitters and Consumers

2011-07-01T14:10:00.000-04:00

Knitters and Consumers - Building Solidarity

Building direct communication between knitters and consumers would greatly improve the experience of justice on both ends. Knitters expressed mistrust with pricing structures and no connection with the end users of their products. More transparency with the wholesaling and retailing of product would enable knitters play a more active role in the production process. This could lead to new innovations and savings as well. Engaging consumers with the knitters, for example through social media, could circumvent the effects of greenwashing as people become more trustful of their relationships with producers.

Fair Trade Consumers

2011-07-01T14:09:00.000-04:00

Fair Trade Consumers

One’s positional perspective, explained Amartya Sen, affects the way in which one views justice. People with a greater global cognitive orientation, it was discovered, have a greater propensity for engaging in Fair Trade (considering they have the funds to do so). While others, with a lesser orientation, believe trade is more the responsibility of the government than themselves. Consumers, it was noted, are rational beings in their choice to support justice. If the value of helping others is strong, than one will naturally act in one’s own self interest, and choose to spend a few more dollars to support Fair Trade. This is called ethical consumption and is a rational choice. However, bound rationality and high uncertainty will undermine a consumer’s rational choice, resulting in their not purchasing of Fair Trade, even though they had originally said they would. Greenwashing plays a big role in undermining consumer confidence in Fair Trade claims.

Without consumers, Fair Trade as justice can not exist. To realize justice, the many facets of consumer behavior need to be understood. However this is where limitations exist. Not all consumers are alike. It would be interesting to learn why the US has a very low Fair Trade consumer spending per capita (even though they are the world’s largest consumers). Gender and socioeconomic differences also need to be explored, especially in the context of justice. Most Fair Trade consumers are educated, middle class, women. To understand Fair Trade in advancing justice for all, is important to know how and why non Fair Trade consumers can become pro Fair Trade consumers. Is it through more education, better pricing, or the development of a greater global orientation?

Greenwashing and mis-information inhibit Fair Trade engagement. Other ways of conveying Fair Trade information are needed. Technology offers many opportunities for consumers to more deeply engage with Fair Trade producers and create reciprocal relationships. This too can be further studied. Bolivians are working to develop local Fair Trade models. The idea of local (and regional) Fair Trade would make reciprocity and inclusiveness easier and there would be more consumer confidence as cultural and language similarities would lead to easier communication. However local markets as not as strong, economically, as international ones. There might not be a large enough demand or volume sold of Fair Trade products for this to be completely viable. Never-the-less, a local Fair Trade would be something to look at, especially as a way of lessening dependence on others so far away for a realization of justice. In conclusion, consumers, while an integral part of Fair Trade, are not tightly tied to their role in its advancement of justice. More inclusion and an understanding of the many types of consumers is needed.

Fair Trade Knitters' thoughts on institutions

2011-06-29T23:32:00.000-04:00

Knitters and Institutions

Indigenous women knitters find access to Fair Trade institutions extremely limited, competition fierce, and the benefits questionable. Fair Trade institutions, though helpful in mitigating risk and helping to collect funds, could be more active in creating more institutional and market accessibility and value for knitters. Institutions need to better monitor and provide support for members. For example, poor workplace conditions reported by almost every knitting group, are in violation with Fair Trade institution guidelines and erodes knitter’s experience of justice in their Fair Trade work. Instruction for creating safe workplaces at home would alleviate this problem. By creating a relationship of reciprocity, where knitters are regularly involved in institutional Fair Trade decisions, the needs of knitters could more easily be heard and mitigated, building a better and more just relationship for all.

Conclusion: Fair Trade Institutions

2011-06-29T23:30:00.000-04:00

Fair Trade Institutions

Amartya Sen explains how understanding justice as nyaya, a Sanskrit word which means justice in a larger, holistic sense includes social, environmental, and personal experiences which make up the full essence of justice. Using a nyaya interpretation of justice to understand Fair Trade as an institution creates a broader understanding of what it can be, rather than a debate on its limitations. Fair Trade is a transcendental institution in that it creates a form of justice which is utterly new and defies comparison to any former model of justice. Transparency, training, access to credit, fair wages and safe working conditions are all elements which contribute to Fair Trade’s transcendentalism. However, the unevenness of Fair Trade’s application, how it varies from country to country, not by fault of the institution, but due to differences within the countries themselves, effects how Fair Trade is experienced by all. This erodes its ability of Fair Trade to truly be just and highlights the limitations that Fair Trade has as an institution.

Comparing Fair Trade to free trade limits one’s understanding of justice by reducing it to a niti argument of right vs wrong, good vs bad, and is not a useful tool for understanding Fair Trade. Fair Trade institutions build capabilities amongst producers through training and organizational development. This expansion of capabilities, Sen equates with growing opportunities, freedom, and the realization of justice. Rawls on the other hand was very concerned with inequalities impeding justice. Fair Trade is wrought with inequality, from fluctuations in consumer engagement, to limitations in Fair Trade access by gender, culture and country restrictions. Rawls, in his principles of justice, felt justice should be shared by all, yet Fair Trade seemed to mostly provide justice only for its own members. These arguments illuminate the true collaboration that Fair Trade needs in order to fully realize justice – a collaboration which includes all of society; consumer, countries and governments alike. Justice is a fog which encompasses all, while Fair Trade is like a baby blanket which partly covers the bed, offering justice for some but not for all.

Understanding Fair Trade through Amartya Sen and John Rawls’ definitions of justice, allows for a deeper consideration of justice to arise. It is beneficial in that new language and ways in which to think about Fair Trade are developed. This creates new possibilities for the understanding of Fair Trade and discussing it as an institution of justice. The broadness of Sen’s nyaya in today’s niti (western) world makes it easy for one to grow impatient with, or simply dismiss, such an interpretation. However the importance of thinking holistically about trade is imperative in order to truly understand it as a way to advance justice. Further research is needed in this area. It is possible that these Fair Trade institutions can be a part of a larger way of realizing justice, or that the idea of Fair Trade in itself can be more broadly applied, thus developing into its own complete fog of universal justice.

Thinking of Fair Trade

2011-06-29T23:16:00.002-04:00

How does Fair Trade advance Justice for indigenous Bolivian women?

Answering how Fair Trade advances justice entails a long, complicated response, beginning with “it depends.” Fair Trade takes place on multiple levels and includes many different global partners. These exist in the form of the institutions that bears its name, consumers, producers, and governments. These diverse elements all come together under the umbrella of Fair Trade, each having significant impacts and importance on each other. And each is inherently different in itself. There are different Fair Trade institutions all serving Fair Trade in different ways; different types of consumers defined by gender, age, region, motivation, beliefs; different producers from vastly different countries who are different themselves, men - women, indigenous - non-indigenous, urban – rural; and new concepts of governance and economic policy. Justice itself is not easily understood, and in the context of the different facets of Fair Trade it gets even more convoluted. Indigenous women, though important participants of Fair Trade, are virtually invisible in Fair Trade literature. Giving voice to the these women through ethnographic study enables the impact of Fair Trade to be understood from their perspective. Applying the knitter’s experiences to lessons learned through literature and research helps to clarify the experience of Fair Trade amongst Bolivia’s indigenous women illuminating the ways in which justice is served, and not, and identifying new ways in which to advance justice.

Defining Fair Trade...

2011-04-03T21:19:00.000-04:00

Fair Trade is a voluntary form of commerce where economically disadvantaged producers engage in export relationships that guarantee a degree of security and reduced business risk. Justice, as defined by Amartya Sen, is the ability to realize freedoms garnered through the development of capabilities and opportunities. Fair Trade affects capabilities through the development of skills and efficiencies and affects opportunities by generating income and market access.

The majority of Fair Trade producers are male landowners and many have benefited well from their participation in Fair Trade. Thousands of women also work in Fair Trade and many are handicraft producers working in home based industries.

Left Forum 2011: Interview with Tamara Stenn | The Mantle

2011-03-21T11:05:00.000-04:00

Left Forum 2011: Interview with Tamara Stenn | The Mantle

Fair Trade is Economic Solidarity

2011-03-21T08:50:00.000-04:00

Good news, we determined that YES, Fair Trade is Economic Solidarity - as people work together collaboratively to create mutually beneficial trade, sharing skills and building solidarity.

Here's details from our NYC Fair Trade Forum PowerPoint presentation on the topic:

¨Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, disadvantaged producers and workers – especially in the (global) South. - Industry definition, 1998

Fair Trade is Solidarity Economics: “Solidarity economics embraces a plural and cultural view of the economy as a complex space of social relationship in which individuals, communities, and organizations generate livelihoods through many different means and with many different motivations and aspirations—not just the maximization of individual gain.” - Ethan Miller

Fair Trade is getting BIG:

$3.47 billion dollar industry
126,000 tons of Fair Trade product
500+ specialized Fair Trade import companies
433+ registered producer organizations
110 million artisans, farmers, growers, producers, and supporters
100,000 non-supermarkets
125,000 supermarket points of sale

…all around the world.

(Source: Krier, 2007, pp 7-9; Raynolds, Muray and Johnston, 2007, p. 126; World Fair Trade Organization, 2010)

Bolivian Fair Trade Knitters in a 2010 Ethnographic Study Report:

SUCCESS

¨Self Esteem
¨Skills
¨Income

CHALLENGES

Competition
Culture
Poverty

(Source: Tamara Stenn, May 2010)

Fair Trade at the LEFT FORUM - NYC - this weekend.

2011-03-09T07:43:00.000-05:00

Come join us at the Left Forum in NYC this weekend for a forum on Fair Trade
http://www.leftforum.org/content/fair-trade-viable-model-solidarity-economics

Panel Abstract:

During the years of the Fair Trade movement’s long, slow “birth” (approximately 1950 to 2000) most of its participants and advocates sought to create alternatives to the conventional marketplace and thereby develop what we would now call a solidarity economy. However, more recently Fair Trade practices have also garnered the attention of many corporations and – for a variety of motivations – hundreds of conventional firms now import 10 times the quantity of Fair Trade certified products as do ‘solidarity’ importers. Does this mean that a once utopian model has successfully taken root in the capitalist marketplace? Or does it represent a cooption and dilution of Fair Trade ideals? Our four panelists will bring four different perspectives, some conflicting, on the Fair Trade economy today, including how it is – or is not – changing industries, communities and producer/consumer relationships.

Pesenters:

E. Panel Session 2—Saturday 12:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.

Tamara Stenn—Keene State College, URPE member

Chisara Ehiemere—Fair Trade USA

Daniel Salcedo—www.PEOPLink.org

Rodney North—Equal Exchange

Tamara Stenn - URPE and Keene State College

THE RATIONAL CHOICE OF FAIR TRADE

2011-03-07T08:21:00.002-05:00

THE RATIONAL CHOICE OF FAIR TRADE

Economists often believe that a rational choice will predict the actual choice. Rational choice theory is based on the assumption that people work in their own best interest, striving to maximize their position, and making decisions for their own maximum benefit. Never-the-less there are plenty of instances where the rational choice is not the actual choice made, or may not seem to be to the observer.

Herbert Simon writes of “bound rationality” where due to a lack of information or one’s inability to focus or understand the information available, one may not make the fully rational choice, but rather settle for something that seems to be good enough (1955).

Greek philosophers coined the term, akrasia, which means “weakness of will,” to refer to instances, such as over-eating, when one may know what the rational choice is but fail to follow it. Economists sometimes call this behavior “bounded willpower” or insufficient self-command” (Sen, 2009, p. 117).

Though one might choose not to be rational all of the time, one is able to, “reason and scrutinize their own decisions and those of others.” (Sen, 209, p. 178) And whilst one may occasionally stray from the “demands of rationality,” he or she does not go far. Just as one is able to apply rationality to their own behavior, they can also apply rationality when thinking about bigger things, such as the nature of justice.

Rational Choice Theory (RCT) as mentioned earlier, is the common economic belief that people will always act rationally and in their own self interest. An individual may show empathy for a sad person, but the motivation for showing the empathy (in the spirit of RCT and Adam Smith’s definition of “self love”) is not to specifically make the person feel better, but to make themselves feel better buy lessening the sadness of the perpetrator. This is just one dimension of human motivation, and a very limiting understanding of rationality.

The rationality of choice however, is more liberating, and shows that reasons for what may appear to be irrational choices, are actually quite rational and sustainable after scrutiny. For example, an avid consumer of fair trade coffee insists on buying a small, one-pound bag of coffee each week from his local grocery. He knows that a five pound bag costs less and would reduce his number of trips to the store, saving time and money, yet the consumer instead, apparently less rationally, chooses to buy the small quantity more frequently, at a higher price.

What might not be apparent here, is that the consumer rides his bike to the grocery and can not carry the larger bag of coffee home on his bicycle. One also does not know that pedaling to the grocery is an important part of the customer’s exercise routine. So though spending more time and money on coffee purchases may at first seem irrational, when understood in the context of the choices made, it is perfectly rational. The consumer has engaged “sustainable reasoning” in his choice process. This mean that he does not re-engage this rational/un-rational questioning ever time he goes to the store, instead he does it automatically and without thinking. It becomes a habitual choice (Sen, 2009).

Besides having varying degrees of rationality based on self interests, there are also motivations beyond self interest for rationality. Adam Smith, in his Theory of Moral Sentiment, lists these as sympathy, generosity, and public spirit. Sympathy is helping someone who is sad, only because you want them to feel better. Generosity is the sacrifice of one’s interest for someone else’s enjoyment of that interest, and acting in the public spirit is based on comparing things from the perspective of, “the nation he fights for” (Smith, 1790, p. 191).

Other motivations, such as feelings of shared humanity or justice, may influence someone to choose to pursue a goal that is not “exclusively confined to their own self interest.” (Sen, 2009, p. 191). This behavior is not particularly unusual and is present in many who choose to engage in fair trade.

THE RATIONALITY OF FAIR TRADE CONSUMPTION

Fair trade is arguably not a particularly rational choice for consumers working in their own self interest. Fair trade products are often not easily available or identifiable. Often the consumer has seek out products online because they are not available in the local community, or they have to take time to research and determine a product’s fair trade-ness. Fair trade products are often more expensive then conventional ones (Shaw, Hogg, et. Al, 2006; Low and Davenport, 2007; Cailleba and Casteran, 2008). Never-the-less, as demonstrated by the tremendous growth in demand for fair trade products, consumers are making this choice - though not consistently, nor over long periods of time.

Fair trade products need to be of a good quality, fashionable, identifiable, and readily available in mainstream markets for maximum consumer participation (Shaw and Duff, 2002; Tomolillo and Shaw 2004). This is often difficult to achieve as fair trade does not have the scope and coverage that conventional trade products enjoy. Fair trade labeling and criteria change across product categories, making some fair trade products such as manufactured goods, handicrafts, and clothing, more difficult to identify. (Shaw, Hogg, et. al, 2006).

A study of fair trade coffee consumption by French consumers painted a fickle market driven by a passive consumption of fair trade, based largely on purchases made during events or as gifts for others. On the basis of 7,587 transactions, fair trade coffee showed lower customer retention rates than conventional coffees. In addition, while fair trade customers tended to engage in fair trade coffee purchasing for three years, conventional coffee drinkers had much longer commitments with their brand loyalty extending to an average of five years. The study also found that fair traders were not necessarily heavy coffee drinkers and consumed fair trade and non fair trade coffee rather indiscriminately (Calleba and Casteran, 2008).

Coffee, in general, is a product that suffers from limited brand loyalty (Srivstava, 2007). Fair trade coffee consumption and brand loyalty (just like non fair trade coffee consumption and brand loyalty) could be improved through reinforcement, commitment, and satisfaction. Reinforcement provides a positive reward or stimulus for a behavior. Commitment is the link between a person and his or her own actions, such as their engaging in ethical consumption. Satisfaction is the quality of the experience the person had with the product. The authors noted that, like conventional coffee, different grades of fair trade coffee sold at different price points could also attract a broader range of customers (Calleba and Casteran, 2008).

The motivation to engage in fair trade coffee consumption seems to be diluted.

Another study of fair trade clothing consumption in the British fashion industry found “words/deeds inconsistencies” amongst fair trade consumers. Though participants felt committed to fair trade ideals and wanted to purchase fair trade product, often they did not. The clothing industry, like other conventional trade markets, is rife with corruption and unfair labor practices. Sweatshops is a term used for factories which employ underage workers, pay low wages, require long work hours, and engage in other exploitive practices (Weadick, 2002). Fair trade clothing is an ethical alternative to the predominantly sweatshop made conventional clothing options. The 262 consumers in this study were aware of the differences between fair trade and conventional clothing and although 81% voiced a high intention to make ethical choices and purchase fair trade clothing, only 9% actually did (Shaw, Hogg, et al, 2006). (Shaw, Hogg, et al, 2006)

More than 55% of participants said the poor access was their number one deterrent. There simply was not an easily identifiable, fashionable and affordable source of fair trade clothes available. The consumers reported that it was difficult for them to identify if a product was fair trade or sweatshop made since there was not any display information and the sales staff were either uniformed or an unreliable source of data. There was also a limited amount of fashion options, sizes, and product choices. High uncertainty and a weak relationship with fair trade clothing sources, led consumers who would normally purchase fair trade products, to make a choice inconsistent with their own beliefs (Shaw, Hogg, et al, 2006). Researchers attribute this inconsistent behavior partially to the nature of fashion where beyond just being functional, clothing fashion fills a need for belongingness and self esteem (Easey, 2002; Gabriel and Lang, 1995).

A value based label (VBL) is a product label which carries, “explicit value-laden messages relating to a product’s process and quality” (Bargam, 2002). Various types of VBLs are often found on fair trade products. A consumer study on food labeling found that 97% of all participants studied read or examine the VBL before making and purchase. Seventy-one percent of the customers studied relied on the VBL when making product choices and 48% continued to purchase products bearing the same VBL (McEachern, Warnaby, 2008). Having a clear fair trade message, easy access to product in mainstream markets, and good quality, will help to foster more engagement in ethical consumption, as consumers pursue a more global definition of themselves and see their relevancy in their link to economic justice through trade.

The Ethical Consumer Report defines an ethical consumer as one who embraces the idea of, “personal consumption where the choice of a product or service exists which supports a particular ethical issue – bet it human rights, the environment, or animal welfare” (Cooperative Bank, 2003, p. 7). The UK’s ethical consumers purchased $28 billion of ethical products in 2002, the time of the publication of the Ethical Consumer Report. Fair trade goods are ethical products.

Never-the-less, fair trade consumers seems to be a slippery lot driven by their own needs and habits, no matter how much they personally value their global citizenry and value being ethical consumers. It is difficult for well meaning consumers to, “engage with complex issues of social injustice or environmental degradation” especially when there are not always fair trade options for the products one is seeking, and fair trade products are more costly or of a lesser quality or design. Making ethical choices, studies show, are important to consumers, but are secondary to the “everyday business of consumption.” (Low, Davenport, 2007, p. 339) As fair trade products become more available in places of conventional retailing (mainstream markets) the burden of making ethical consumer choices becomes even greater.

“If alternative products (ie fair trade) enter existing market circuits, their environmental and social qualities become subordinated to their price, as occurs with other commodities” (Raynolds, 2000, p. 299). In addition, as found in the previously mentioned fashion studies, while mainstream retailers see the benefit of selling fair trade products, they do not necessarily endorse the “radical, transformative message of fair trade,” or even promote the products as being fair trade, especially when other store products are not fair trade. (Low, Davenport, 2005, 2007). Essentially, studies have shown that the traditional consumer motivations of “price, quality, brand, and convenience override ethical concerns, even when consumers are aware of ethical issues in the production, use and disposal of products” (emphasis added) (Low, Davenport, 2005, 2007) (other studies: Tallontire, et al, 2003; Boulsridge and Carrigan, 2000; Saw et al 2004).

More to come soon....

KUSIKUY re-opening for Fall 2011!

2011-02-20T11:21:00.000-05:00

KUSIKUY is re-opening for the Fall 2011 season!

(I've finished my doctoral coursework and am far enough along in my thesis that alas, there is time for KUSIKUY once again!).

Get ready for the same great knits, same great knitters, cozy, cuddly alpaca for the whole family.

100% Fair Trade, eco-ethical, and affordable... Stay posted for more to come soon!

The Economics of Bolivia

2011-01-23T18:36:00.001-05:00

As I move more into the economic realm of things - teaching Economics at 2 colleges, attending the ASSA Annual Meeting, reading more papers and getting ready to begin publishing my own work, I find myself more and more fascinated by the Economic Policy and developments happening in Bolivia. And now I am beginning to learn the language and models with which to explain and understand it too.

Stay tuned for my soon to be posted mullings on Bolivian economics - something which I am naming "Evo-Nomics".

Dissertation research question

2010-06-24T22:37:00.000-04:00

How does the new global demand for Fair Trade advance justice in the lives of Bolivia’s indigenous knitters?

Research includes Amaryta Sen's theory of justice.

In Spanish Fair Trade is "Comercio Justo." "Justo" can be directly translated to mean "just" (as in "justice"). So the real research question could be is Fair Trade just trade or just trade? (play on words!)

Writing a Dissertation is Like Swimming in a Frog Pond

2010-06-24T22:26:00.000-04:00

It begins with full immersion. Blub, blub, blub.

Down to the murky depths. Feeling the presence, pressure all around. Submerged and surrounded deeply by one's topic. Sometimes getting tangled in the vegetation. The deep internal sounds of blood coursing in ears. Personal, contained, enveloped.

Then the surface. Splish, splash, ahhh.

Air, sunlight, a breeze. Lily pads floating about like other research ideas. Tidbits of new topics. Adding texture, content, context.

Notes from Meeting with Bolivian knitters - to discuss Fair Trade

2010-06-09T13:00:00.000-04:00

Here are my rough notes on a Bolivian, Fair Trade, group meeting.

Meetings open with a "talking stick" exercise where each member has a chance to talk abut her/his experience with knitting for (Fair Trade) export. Then we go into a group discussion on the effects, challenges and benefits of Fair Trade.

Meetings are in Spanish and Quechua or Aymara (depending on the region). I have translated the Spanish myself. I have not completely identified groups to protect their identity as I work on my research. Once it is ready for publishing, all identifying information will also be presented.

Enjoy!
Tamara

GROUP PY – 5/15/10 (older, established group – 8+ years) about 16 members, 2 males. President: "Hope" (also board member)

EFFECTS (general comments brought up by the talking stick)
• The work is flexible – it can be done at any time, it is portable, and easy to pick up and bring with you to the campo, or other places (though most knitting is done alone in the house while the children are at school or while caring for a pre-kinder toddler.)
• The work can be combined with other tasks/jobs. Some women work as house cleaners, gardeners, they can bring the knitting with them and knit while traveling to work, or in between jobs.
• The work is relaxing. It can be done in the house. There is no need to travel, have fixed hours.
• The work is accommodating – there is time for everything. They are able to care for their children, take care of the family, cook, clean, be close to the family.
• Helping the family – making money for the family, being flexible with work, being around the children.
• The weekly meetings are social, conversational. Health and family problems can be brought up and discussed. This makes the knitters happy to be together. Meetings are usually positive, social times. Women are used to (culturally) working and being together.
• “Desahoga” – there is pressure from the families (especially husbands) to be working and caring for family members, to be more focused on them (and not knitting)
• Criticism – Knitters worry about criticism of their work from the quality control person in the group. If something is not made well, then it needs to be fixed/redone at the knitter’s expense. There is a bit of a show here when something is made wrong – it is obvious to everyone.
• Stress – from balancing order demands, housework (cooking, sweeping the house/patio, hand washing clothes) and family demands (children, husbands).
• Being alone in the house - Women are used to (culturally) working and being together. Most of the knitting takes place alone in the house.
• Challenge of being a part of the organization and the responsibilities it brings – complicated knitting, high quality standards, orders knit quickly, constant deadlines.
• Sad and without money. In Bolivia people are usually paid monthly. Sr. de May pays every 6 months – because they say that is how the customers pay them. There is confusion amongst the women about how much they are earning and when they will be paid.

CHALLENGES
• Time:
o Husbands want, attention, hot tea and meals ready and waiting for when they come home (which is often unpredictable because of schedules and transportation)
o Children need to be brought to and picked up from school and cared for when in the house.
o Orders need to be knit accurately, with top quality, and on time (knitters are often interrupted when knitting for family matters so it is hard to concentrate on what is being made.)
• Work:
o Is often interrupted by household demands (children, husbands, time, other responsibilities (cook, clean, wash).
o They don’t have a specific place to work (some knitters talk about hiding their knitting from family members (husbands), putting it under the bed, so they are not accused of being lazy and distracted and taking good care of the children and the home).
o The work is not recognized. No one is praising them for what they are doing, giving importance to the money brought in or skills learned, the work is largely ignored to criticized. (Note some husbands do engage in the work – helping to roll yarn, watching the kids when the mom is knitting, or even knitting themselves, this is rare but does happen. Also some children take an interest in the kitting, mostly young girls, and will knit with their moms.)
o The male in the group machine knits and often there are not machine knitting orders for him. This is difficult for him. He does notice that the women in the group seem to benefit socially and have a higher self esteem.

BENEFITS
o Economic
• More things can be bought for the family
• There are more family earnings
o Social
• They feel a higher confidence in themselves being a woman. They are working independently, making money, making high quality products, managing their own time
• Friendship

OTHER
o Money is paid very slowly. This makes it hard for them to explain to their husbands the value of their work. it is also hard for them to track and plan.
o 30% is paid to the organization (note: women do get an annual bonus of rice, cooking oil, noodles, etc. based on the amount of product they produced.)

-----------------------

GROUP NIEVES – 5/18/10 (newer group – less than 2 years). About 14 members. President: Lily (board member)

EFFECTS (general comments brought up by the talking stick)
o The work is done for the children.
• So they can study - money earned is spent on books, notebooks, and “bordilla” (school smocks).
• So they can eat better – money earned is spent on milk, cookies, fruit, toasted grains (cereals).
• So they can have sewers – this is a new neighborhood so people are waiting to be able to install sewers. They need to save $ and also wait for the sewer system to reach them. They have electricity and water (this is new).
o Other jobs. Besides knitting, the women make hats, sew clothes, machine knit, anything that they can find to do. They earn about 50 – 100 Bs a month (equal to $50-$100 in value, and $8-$12 in US), but they are finding there are less and less opportunities for side jobs. Their knitting pay is often not as high as some of the other pay they get but it is steady work, and the higher paying jobs are not.
o Schedule: Most women get up at 4-5am and get the house ready and cook for the day so they have more time then to knit. When they are at their weekly knitting meetings the children are locked in the house so they do not get into trouble on the streets. In the house the children will watch TV, play together and do their homework. Most women have 3-6 children.
o The women don’t really want to knit. They do not like the long wait for pay. They are waiting for better work to come around.
o
CHALLENGES
o To learn how to knit the designs
o To maintain quality
o Coming to the weekly meetings - some women live far away in Punta Villa, the Caratera a Oruro, Chukaya, Ventanilla) and have to arrive in public shared cars (more expensive). It often costs them 4-8Bs each round trip (equivalent to $4-$8 in USA value)
o Time – they are tired. The get up at 4-5am and knit until they fall asleep from exhaustion at night – often 11pm or 1am or 3am depending on the deadline they are knitting for.
o Health – their hands hurt and many complain of authorities from knitting so much, their shoulders and backs hurt from leaning over their knitting, also they eyes hurt and it is sometimes hard for them to see outdoors after spending so much time in the house bent over knitting all day.
o Lack of medical attention – they have no insurance and it is hard to find and afford a doctor (ailments include colds, aches and pains). Note – there is a high incidence of uterine cancer in Bolivia and though it is largely in the lowlands (and the knitters are in the highlands), cancers cause death without being reported/detected.

BENEFITS
o Learn how to knit. Can knit other things for the family.
o Learn a profession
o Paid in one lump sum. This makes for easier savings and also enables women to make larger purchases
o Books can be purchased for the children’s education (note: Bolivian schools do not have books – they need to be purchased. If a child can not buy a book then he has to share with someone in class, if he can, but he will not have the book to take home and study from and do homework in.)
Receive annual food bonus of rice, cooking oil and sugar. This is a big motivator for them. the more they knit, the more food they will receive.
o Leave behind their worries and sadness (unsupportive/violent husbands, no husbands, financial worries, problems with children, health issues – sore hands, back, eyes) when in group. It is a cheerful group with lots of laughing and jokes.
o Working together
o Getting advice from the group for personal problems.

WFTO - International Women's Day section

2010-05-05T16:19:00.000-04:00

WFTO - International Women's Day section

defining globalization

2010-04-18T14:35:00.000-04:00

RECENT TRADE HISTORY

Trade accelerated after WWII with the massive exchange of goods, information and resources, first in the developed world and then in the developing world. This process of globalization began first in the developed world and then in the developing world. A “developing country” is defined by the World Bank in their World Development Report (1996) as a country having a less than $9,000 per capita GNP. In other words, each person earns less that $9,000 a year. According to this definition, 80% of the world’s population lives in a developing country. Most earn less than $1,000 per capita. The United States in contrast enjoys a $25,000+ per capital earnings (Ray, 1998).

Figure 1.1. Percentage of growth in world exports as a whole and by developing countries.
Source: International Monetary Fund, Issues and Developments in International Trade Policy (1992).

Figure 1.1 shows the growth the entire world was enjoying in the new export environment of the 1960s onward. Developed countries (DC) experienced the largest growth percentages as they entered into the markets for the first time in the 1960s-1970s. Upon their establishment within the export markets which included the development of infrastructure, protocol, and a demand for new products and materials, the less developed countries (LDC) began to also participate. Most of the export products coming from the LDCs are raw materials and primary products such as food, fuel, and minerals. These exports generate less internal income for the country than manufactured exports which have more labor and internal costs associated with their production.
Over the years, the LDC exports of manufactured goods has increased dramatically from 7% in 1970 to 17% in 1990 with most growth taking place in Asia and more trade occurring between LDC countries. This happened largely because of LDC government recognition of the importance of entering into manufacturing production as a security against fluctuations and vulnerabilities in the primary markets. Overall though the LDCs still have a very low percentage of global export manufacturing. Latin America produces just 2% of all manufacturing exports worldwide. (World Bank, 1995, United Nations 1992, Ray 1998). Manufactured exports are the more desirable of the two. Economically, more income is generated by manufacturing exports, due to higher wages paid towards manufacturing jobs and higher process received for manufactured products. Primary exports offer much fewer opportunities.

What is the accessibility and effect of Fair Trade on rural, Bolivian, alpaca knitters?

2010-04-06T08:05:00.000-04:00

DISSERTATION PRE-PROPOSAL

Research Question: What is the accessibility and effect of Fair Trade on rural, Bolivian, alpaca knitters?

Areas of literature to review:
1. The process of Fair Trade particularly voluntary vs certified
2. Economic analysis of knitting in rural Bolivia
3. Cultural studies of rural Bolivian knitters

Data: Documents related to exports of alpaca knitting in Bolivia gathered from government and non-government agencies. Interviews with leaders of rural, Bolivian, alpaca knitting groups. Current Fair Trade research.

Data collection:
1. Structured and unstructured interviews
2. Ethnographic study with participant observation
3. Request of documents form the government of Bolivia and non-government organizations.

Data Analysis: Grounded-theory analysis of documents, interviews and observations, to determine accessibility and effect.

Significance: The study will inform those developing and implementing Fair Trade models what is helpful and not in extending participation in Fair Trade. It will also give a deeper understanding to the long term effects Fair Trade has on Bolivia’s rural participants. Currently there is no information on the effects that Fair Trade has had on a particular Fair Trade group in comparison to a non Fair Trade group.

Outline of Study:
• Chapter 1: Introduction including background of the problem, research question, significance, and outline of study
• Chapter 2: literature review
• Chapter 3: Literature design
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Conclusion or discussion

The effects of reflection

2010-03-31T00:06:00.000-04:00

Working on my dissertation I am planning how I will measure the effects of Fair Trade on Bolivia's alpaca knitting industry. An industry is made up of people. So I'm really asking how has fair trade effected the Bolivian's working with alpaca? And how has it?

How does one measure "effect"? Effect implies a value; something that is better or worse; a judgment. And where is this effect - in the culture, spirituality? How does one put a value on spirituality? If a knitter now owns and uses a cell phone to coordinate knitting, when before she would visit and talk with the person, is that an effect of Fair Trade? Is it good, bad, better, worse, progress, a cultural loss? And who is making this judgment? Me? A western Fair Trade comerciante from my lens of a white, privileged USA business owner? And what is this in comparison to, not having a cell phone? Or not having a reason to talk to a neighbor?

And is it fair to say, or imply, that only we can have an effect of something on something else? Isn't that dominating, condescending, arrogant? Aren't we all effected by each others' actions? So to make the study balanced, we should also look at the effect of Bolivia's knitters on their western Fair Trade customers. They have power to influence too.

The knitters might be effected by participating in the Western structure of Fair Trade commerce by learning to embrace deadlines, consistency, improvement, growth. But if we look at how their Fair Trade activities have effected western customers, we'll see that customers report to have gained feelings of thoughtfulness, connectedness, appreciation and participation; feelings that are priceless in today's impersonal, fast-paced, world.

If I were to draw a model of a sweater production, I would make a circle starting with grass, then the alpaca, then the herder, knitter, product, consumer. In the center would be the earth - since that is what we are all linked to; our common ancestor, pachamama - earth mother. And we revolve around it. In the traditional western trade model, we are always looking ahead at what comes next, planning for more. Fair Trade though, is also the looking back. The remembering of where something came from, who touched it, what nourished it. Human rights and the environment can not be separated. To care for the knitter on must care for the alpaca and the grass. We are all interconnected, we are tied to the earth.

I have discovered over time, "Sweaters slowly knit in silence are worn in fury and last and last, becoming our favorite garment, a friend, soon knit of our own memories." T. Stenn

And perhaps this is the effect Fair Trade has had on me, building my ability to reflect, question, mull, and repeat, again and again; Knitting my own garment of questions that can someday be seen and worn by all.

KUSIKUY Fall '10 Knit-to-Order SALE: 10% off

2010-03-19T17:14:00.000-04:00

FALL 2010 SALE – 10% off wholesale alpaca knits

Order now for Fall 2010 and get 10% off prepaid orders of $1,000 or more.
Order deadline: May 1, 2010. Delivery: Sept/Oct. 2010 (you choose delivery)

Couture quality, fashion alpaca designs at a fair price for all.
Hand knit of the finest alpaca by Bolivia’s best knitters.
Sweaters, hats, scarves, mittens: Women, men, children.

100% animal and eco friendly, natural, and Fair Trade from herder to knitter to you.
http://www.kusikuy.com
Now on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, You Tube. Linkedin.

Visit www.kusikuy.com and join the fun!

FAIR TRADE DESIGN CONTEST

2010-03-18T08:13:00.000-04:00

A CONTEST!

KUSIKUY is having a Campus Apparel Design Contest.

Submit your original design for a small, hand knit accessory (hat gloves, etc.) that would sell in a Campus Bookstores and also be used as a Fair Trade Fundraising product. Designs will be voted on by Keene State College students, April 22nd. Winner gets to name product and have it put into production.

Entries must be the original work of entrant - drawn sketches, knit samples, all will be accepted. Deadline for entries is April 20th. Items can be submitted electronically (e-mail) or mailed to:
KUSIKUY
PO Box 2154
Brattleboro, VT 05303

For more info. and an entry form, contact info@kusikuy.com
More information on KUSIKUY is at www.kusikuy.com

Dissertation Topic: Fair Trade, a New Model for Sustainable Commerce?

2010-03-16T23:21:00.000-04:00

OVERVIEW: Quechua and Aymara Bolivians have been herding alpacas, spinning fiber, and knitting product for export markets for hundreds of years.

In the past 15 years, some alpaca workers have begun to operate under the principles of Fair Trade. Fair Trade ensures participants receive fair wages, technical assistance, access to credit, dignity, long term trade relationships, and have a safe, sustainable work environment. Fair Trade is a newer economic model that has been limited by a lack of comparative study. This is a comparative study of the effect of Fair Trade on Bolivia’s alpaca knitting industry, examining Fair Trade and non Fair Trade (conventional) herders and knitters culturally, economically and personally.

I will travel to Bolivia to begin my research in May. For the past 15 years, I have been working in fair trade alongside the Bolivian knitters and herders as the founder/director of KUSIKUY Clothing Co. KUSIKUY specializes in hand knit alpaca clothing. It will be interesting to have a real definition of Fair Trade's effect in Bolivian knits. I will be studying Fair Trade and non Fair Trade knitters and herders.

- Tamara Stenn

KUSIKUY Product: Fair Trade College Bookstores

2010-03-09T14:29:00.000-05:00

KUSIKUY is excited to be a part of the Fair Trade Towns and Colleges movement. Founder, Tamara Stenn, helped to place her town of Brattleboro, Vermont, USA on the map as the second Fair Trade town in the USA. Now she is working with the students of Keene State College, in Keene, New Hampshire, USA to make that school the first Fair Trade College in New Englnad.

KUSIKUY is developing a line of customized Fair Trade hats and mittens for college bookstores. These products, hand knit, Fair Trade accessories, are available custom knit in college colors. They are set to retail at less than $20 each. This is an easy and attractive way for colleges to show their support of fair trade and for students to show they support of their college; by proudly sporting fair trade gear in their collegiate colors!

Products can be ordered now for Fall delivery. Visit http://www.kusikuy.com/custom.html for more information.

KUSIKUY knitters earn more than $150,000

2010-02-14T07:43:00.000-05:00

Since 1997, KUSIKUY has paid over $150,000 to more than 300 rural Bolivian knitters and provided over 100 hours of free training. This investment has raised knitters' annual income by almost 20%, raised literacy rates, introduced new technical skills, improved organizational skills, and enabled knitters' families to enjoy higher quality diets, afford medical care, and attend school and college.

Bolivia is one of the poorer countries of the Americas. The average farmer lives on just $100 a month. Often children have to work and live far away from a school. They cannot afford the time or cost of a uniform or supplies to attend school. Diets are often low in protein due to poverty, the effects the children's development. Bolivia has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the Americas.

KUSIKUY knitters are highly trained, indigenous farmers. They knit sweaters and accessories out of their own alpaca wool for export customers. Payment is per piece and knitters are often earning triple minimum wage for their work. Knitters knit from their homes which enables them to maintain their traditional customs and community while also earning extra income.

Visit KUSIKUY at www.kusikuy.com for more information.

KUSIKUY - make yourself happy

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WFTO - International Women's Day section

defining globalization

What is the accessibility and effect of Fair Trade on rural, Bolivian, alpaca knitters?

The effects of reflection

KUSIKUY Fall '10 Knit-to-Order SALE: 10% off

FAIR TRADE DESIGN CONTEST

Dissertation Topic: Fair Trade, a New Model for Sustainable Commerce?

KUSIKUY Product: Fair Trade College Bookstores

KUSIKUY knitters earn more than $150,000

The Indigenous Perspective
(The rest of this paper was submitted to the Journal of Feminist Economics for peer review and publication)

FAIR TRADE KEENE STATE COLLEGE
‎2nd Annual Fair Faire - Almost $2,000 of Fair Trade goods sold in less than 4 hours. Way to go KSC! And who ever said that college students don't support Fair Trade? KSC does!