Markets

October 17, 2006March 3, 2026

Fair dues

Did you know October was Fair Trade Month? There’s a nice discussion of fair trade in chocolate here. Again, has anyone done an empirical study of how fair trade certification affects genetic diversity in farmers’ fields?

1. New webinar series from the American Society of Plant Biologists will explore how underutilized (or is it opportunity) crops like amaranth can contribute to nutrition, food security and rural livelihoods.
2. FARA highlights the tiny West African grain fonio as another crop with potential to improve nutrition, strengthen food systems and create new opportunities for farmers and value chains.
3. Taiwanese tea has travelled an unlikely route into northern Thailand. It too was an opportunity crop at one time.
4. Ethiopian farmers may have been practising regenerative agriculture for millennia, mixing wheat, barley and other grains in the same field. The Rockefeller Foundation is on it.
5. Efforts to restore the Al Qarara Seed Bank in Gaza are offering a small but significant form of agricultural recovery.
6. In Nepal, indigenous seeds are losing ground to hybrids, but seed advocates are fighting back.
Published on August 22, 2026