Public purchasing programs for family farmers. A new sales channel for fair trade?

This study explores the market opportunities offered by public purchases of fair trade foods in Latin America. It focuses on the experience of family farming producers and associations as suppliers for institutional markets, especially in school feeding programs. Recent research is reviewed and the experience of family farming organizations in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru is analyzed, highlighting their relative success and potential for scalability. However, the need for contracting authorities to use selection criteria beyond the market, such as support for small and medium-sized enterprises and environmental considerations, is noted. Furthermore, the importance of productive development policies is highlighted to overcome barriers to entry into these systems.