Handicrafts
In the early days there was a notion that handicrafts provide "supplementary income" to families. In a large number of cases, this was far from supplementary - it was the primary income of women who were single heads of household with multiple responsibilities; the income from craft production was absolutely essential for their survival.
Most of the early "Alternative" and "Fair" trade organizations started with trading handicrafts from the developing countries. There are a number of factors that have made handicrafts an ideal choice with poverty reduction and rural development in the developing countries:
- Eager market for unique handicrafts from far away lands.
- Most of these handicrafts required intensive labour and unique skills that had been passed on from generation to generation.
- Women are the predominant group involved in producing handicrafts - they are also the most marginalized in terms of social, economic and political status in their communities.
There are a number of factors that made handicrafts an ideal choice for the "Fair" trade camp:
- Handicrafts can be made in the home or in small workshops from locally available raw materials.
- They do not require heavy capital investment.
- They are labour intensive.
- Artisans may make them in so-called free time or even during some of their daily chores such as looking after animals.
- Handicrafts provide income for women who often have no opportunities for paid work.
Hundreds of handicrafts businesses have been setup in Europe and North America, in the past few decades. However, many of these businesses continue to apply the traditional business model of "buy low and sell high" and exploit the artisans in their native countries.
But for those fortunate to work with Fair Trade organizations, it has been a lifeline. Many well know Fair Trade organizations like Global Exchange, Fair Trade Federation, Ten Thousand Villages and the International Federation for Alternative Trade have been promoting fair trade in handicrafts from developing countries in Asia, Africa and South and Central America.