Abstract
This paper presents a cross-regional comparison of the diversity of farmers producing fair-trade products.African smallholders are compared with their counterparts in Southeast Asia from the viewpoint of their subsistence and moral economy. African peasants are found to rely mainly on their own production and on assistance from neighbors for their subsistence (especially for food), whereas for farmers in Southeast Asia, subsistence is based on the market economy. In a sense, African peasants are more autonomous than are farmers in Southeast Asia because they stand on their own feet rather than depend on outside forces such as the market or state. Therefore, fair trade with African peasants should be practiced so as not to spoil their subsistence system, which is also supported by the moral economy in their communities.
