Spatial productive circuit and circles of cooperation of fairtrade coffee in Costa Rica: analysis of Coopesarapiquí R. L.

Abstract

This research project derives from our FAPESP project No. 2012/10951-0, entitled "Spatial productive circuit and cooperation circles of Fairtrade coffee: Analysis of the Association of Stream D'Antas Family Farmers (Associação dos Agricultores Familiares do Córrego D’Antas - ASSODANTAS), Poços de Caldas, MG and aims to analyze the spatial productive circuit and circles of cooperation of Fairtrade coffee, taking as a case study Coopesarapiquí RL, a Fair Trade cooperative, located in the district of San Carlos y Sarapiquí - Costa Rica. This project will be realized in order to analyze the organization and regulation of production, verifying if Fairtrade confers greater identity and autonomy to smallholders or not. Costa Rica has a long tradition in the coffee production, which is still considered a product of great economic and cultural importance to the country, especially regarding special coffees. The Costa Rican territory presents an excellent organization of national production, promoted and regulated by the Instituto del Café de Costa Rica (Icafe), one of the pioneers of Fairtrade. Besides that, the country hosts one of the units of FLO-Cert. Therefore, it is expected that Stage Research Abroad will enable further analysis on the global production of Fairtrade coffee, allowing the debate about common challenges and characteristics of this production in major producing countries such as Costa Rica, in addition to seek substantiation and operationalization of the concepts "productive space circuit" and "productive cooperation circles". (AU)