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This short briefing note outlines the importance of ensuring that fair trade initiatives incorporate a gender perspective. Taking account of gender in fair trade is one way to ensure that women are recognised in and paid a fair wage for their contribution to agricultural and production processes. For those women who are producers, fair trade allows the development of sustained relationships with trading partners, providing stability of income. These relationships also often include training in management skills, improved access to markets and financial and technical assistance. In addition, attention may be paid to the empowerment of women in their organisations and to the recognition of their intellectual property rights in the use and management of natural resources.

Reasons are given for why gender makes a difference in fair trade initiatives, including:

• it makes consumers aware of the contribution of women and children to production
• fair trade supports those small businesses that strive to minimise contamination during production which has particular impacts on women i.e., contamination of water and other natural resources
• it creates spaces for the development of associative programmes among groups of women producers, which strengthen their entrepreneurial skills, as well as their access and ability to tap sources of information, credit and new markets

Summary written in collaboration with BRIDGE and Siyanda

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