In its New Global Strategy for Fairtrade, FLO states that within the next few years, producer networks may take their place as fundamental actors of the system instead of being just the recipients of fairtrade. This endeavour has always been at the heart of the movement. But do producers really occupy the place that is rightfully theirs in this system?

For the past 15 years, my own fair trade has been centred on the families that are at the base of the system, on the field. This journey around the world of fair trade began in 1996 when, with Laure Waridel, I visited members of the Unión de Comunidades Indígenas de la Región del Istmo (UCIRI), in Mexico. Since then, I have visited 25 producer groups in 15 countries. Added up, these trips amount to almost two years living in direct contact with farmers, craftspeople and other workers in the fairtrade world.