A system of international commerce based on equitable relationships between producers in southern countries and consumers in the global north. The organizations that forge the relationships and deliver the goods minimize their costs and profits. The goal is for producers, often farmers in impoverished areas, to receive more of what consumers pay for the goods. Specifically, a fair-trade organization pays producers more than the market rate, provides credit to the producers, builds long-term relationships with them, encourages them to form democratic co-ops, encourages ecologically sustainable production and bypasses intermediaries between producers and consumers.