Fair trade is increasingly commonplace in West Africa. Many issues at the national, regional and international scales appear. Nevertheless, thousands of producers still face certain difficulties in exporting their products to the international market. Among these major difficulties, the unfavorable balance of power with other players in the sector such as monopolistic groups and intermediaries, world prices that fluctuate too much not allowing producers to invest in efficient systems that respect the environment, the unequal distribution of the added value but also the lack of general knowledge on international markets are all factors that hinder the good development of the export of crops from small producers to world fair trade. In West Africa, many obstacles stand in the way of small producers, mainly in terms of supply, crop management and certification, as well as significant competition since new players such as agro-plantations or multinational agrifood companies are emerging. Thus, new structures were born in order to face all these difficulties such as peasant agriculture by promoting fair trade. However, these new players are finding it difficult to assert themselves on the international scene. Among the main issues facing producers' organizations is the development of a real advocacy capacity with the State concerned so that the latter adopts favorable measures taking into account the specificities of fair trade, such as marketing international organizations certifying international trade and that peasant productions correspond to fair trade standards.

We observe in West Africa a mainly positive impact of fair trade. Previous studies have shown that the results obtained were very convincing, in particular on the socio-economic situation of the families of the producers. Producers' organizations have also strengthened their composition in order to offer quality services and benefits. For example, a map has been set up to take into account developments in the cotton sectors in Senegal, showing many positive effects of fair trade in the country. However, it also highlighted that more needs to be done to consolidate and help producers in their empowerment process. Fair trade appears to be a powerful tool that can strongly encourage the development of peasant agriculture in West Africa. West African producer organizations have taken Latin American organizations as a model. Thus, it has helped to influence capacities and local development, but also to promote good environmental management. Despite certain differences, many commonalities have been identified in the two geographical areas, particularly in terms of economic, agro-ecological, social and political contexts.

Finally, new strategies have been put in place to promote fair trade in West Africa. The PFCE and the AVSF have highlighted the need to promote the chain of actors throughout the sector so that West Africa experiences results comparable to those of Latin America and the Caribbean. The PFCE organizes a real dialogue in France in order to promote fair trade in West Africa, by encouraging this type of trade through awareness campaigns, development education and advocacy.

To respond to the specific problems of fair trade in West Africa, it is first of all necessary to take into account the various sectors that already exist by consolidating them, then to further develop networks with other fair trade players.