Towards Gender Equality through Fairtrade? A Case Study on Small-scale Tea Farmers in Nandi Hills, Kenya

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis was to explore the gendered impacts Fairtrade has on smallholder tea producers through a case study of the Sireet cooperative in Western Kenya. While previous studies have extensively elaborated on the overall impact of Fairtrade on poverty reduction and the livelihoods of farmers, a gender differentiated impact assessment has been substantially neglected. Through an embedded mixed methods approach, the study investigated how Fairtrade directly and indirectly impacts female and male farmers on three levels: 1) the individual regarding income and employment opportunities, 2) the household in terms of intra-household gender dynamics, and 3) gendered participation at the cooperative level. The findings suggest that Fairtrade standards and mechanisms have a limited direct impact on all three levels. The cooperative’s initiatives, especially trainings, as well as gendered prioritisation and approach potentially have a greater impact on gender. The outcomes of this study indicate that while Sireet policies on gender issues are largely lacking, official cooperative membership has proven a crucial factor in generating Fairtrade benefits for both men and women. The inclusion through membership however, does little to tackle gender inequalities and embedded gender roles.