A diagnostic tool design for cooperatives and Fair Trade organisations

Abstract

In recent decades, Fair Trade (FT) has consolidated as a useful cooperation tool for small producers in the South. However, it has been observed that it gives rise to the risk of a certain degree of dependence on the organisations that market their products in developed countries. To avoid this situation of dependence, the producer organisations need to be able to move forward and develop themselves into more solid and sustainable organisations even in the conventional market outside the protection of FT networks. Therefore, it is evident that there is a clear need for tools that identify the shortcomings of producer organisations. This paper sets out the design of a diagnostic tool that detects the needs and identifies areas for improvement with a view to achieve sustainability in the market, measuring advances in this direction. The tool is adapted to the idiosyncrasies of producers who market under FT rules and has been validated testing its implementation in one FT organisation in Peru. The test has shown the pertinence and usefulness of the tool as well as some weaknesses that have been addressed.

Keywords:

• quality management tools
• continuous improvement
• EFQM excellence model
• Fair Trade