Editing Fair trade (section)

=== Handicrafts vs. agricultural goods ===
In the early 1980s, [[alternative trading organization]]s faced challenges: the novelty of fair trade products began to wear off, demand reached a plateau and some handicrafts began to look "tired and old fashioned" in the marketplace. The decline of segments of the handicrafts market forced fair trade supporters to rethink their business model and their goals. Moreover, several fair trade supporters were worried by the effect on small farmers of structural reforms in the agricultural sector as well as the fall in [[commodity]] prices. Many came to believe it was the movement's responsibility to address the issue and remedies usable in the ongoing crisis in the industry.{{clarify|date=March 2022}}

In subsequent years, fair trade agricultural commodities played an important role in the growth of many ATOs: successful on the market, they offered a source of income for producers and provided alternative trading organizations a complement to the handicrafts market. The first fair trade agricultural products were tea and coffee, followed by: dried fruits, cocoa, sugar, fruit juices, rice, spices and nuts. While in 1992, a sales value ratio of 80% handcrafts to 20% agricultural goods was the norm, in 2002 handcrafts amounted to 25% of fair trade sales while commodity food was up at 69%.<ref>Nicholls, A. & Opal, C. (2004). ''Fair Trade: Market-Driven Ethical Consumption''. London: Sage Publications.</ref>