ABSTRACT

Since the beginning of the new millennium the fair trade concept has become an important theme in Brazilian popular movements and policies alike. In the 1990s, there were some Fair Trade Labelling Organization (FLO) certified producer groups, especially in orange juice, and some integrated into Alternative Trade Organizations (ATOs), especially handicrafts and tropical food products, directly articulated by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and/or religious organizations. Fair Trade, however, was not seen as a component of the varied social movements, producer organizations, civil society groups, and government policies directed at the small-farming sector and rural development.