O “CAFÉ FEMININO” NO CONTEXTO DA CERTIFICAÇÃO FAIR TRADE: uma análise sobre o papel das mulheres na COOPFAM

Abstract

It is known that coffee is one of the main Brazilian commodities and that it stands out in the economy of southern Minas Gerais. However, the adoption of the organic cultivation system is still a novelty in the region, dominated by the conventional system, adept at the use of chemical inputs. It stands out in export of organic coffee is the COOPFAM (Family Farmers Cooperative of Poço Fundo and Region), which in the search for fair trade certification, needed to adopt measures to promote gender equity. It is in this context that the “female coffee” appears, which starts to allow women to be individual cooperators, within the family production unit, and the MOBI group (Organized Women Seeking Independence) is also created. It is undeniable that this has contributed to the empowerment of these women, but it is also a marketing strategy for the cooperative. Hence the need to verify whether they are being remunerated fairly and also the real role of women in the production of “female coffee” in the context of the adoption of fair trade certification. The research was carried out in the municipality of Poço Fundo-MG, based on research and bibliographic review and interviews with the president of the cooperative and with 15 cooperative women. It was concluded that there has been a change in their lives, that they feel more valued and with the hope that they are opening a path to be followed by their daughters in coffee growing. But much remains to be achieved, in terms of gender equity, inside and outside the cooperative.