Tensions of organic markets for Colombian Coffee Growers: The case of Valle del Cauca

The emergence of non-state market regulations is an unintended consequence of the neoliberal economic doctrine prevailing in globalization. In the case of coffee, the certifications of organic production and fair trade consolidated in the first decade of this century are the most important examples. To assert the impact of these processes in local contexts, we made a case study of coffee growers in southwest Colombia using ethnographic tools and historical reconstruction from oral and written sources. In the early nineties, these trade initiatives were a way to support environmentally friendly and agro-ecological production initiatives. However, the consolidation of a market for these products and the development of certification and control mechanisms transformed the opportunities offered by these alternatives and imposed restrictions to the farmers participating in them.