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Rapid global growth of ethical agro‐food networks such as fair trade, organics, and geographical indications has been accompanied by an increasing volume of research, but, as yet, there has been little comparative or integrated study of these networks from the perspective of development geography. Focussing particularly on Latin America, this two‐part series of articles summarises the state of the art and proposes an integrated research agenda on the significance of ethical agro‐food networks as strategies for de‐commodification in global peripheries. The first article provides an overview of research on fair trade and organic networks, which has mainly focussed on export commodities such as coffee, cacao, and bananas. Despite evidence of some livelihood benefits from fair trade and organic networks for well‐organised small producers and their communities, these studies show a general tendency for recommodification and the capture of added value by powerful market players.

No abstract

This is the second of a two‐part series of review articles on ethical agro‐food networks (AFNs) in global peripheries, with a focus on Latin America. This article focuses on origin or locality‐based strategies, including geographical indications (GIs) as well as alternative approaches to valorising place–product connections. It compares the impacts of origin‐based networks to fair trade and organics and identifies possibilities for alternative or hybrid conceptualisations of these networks. It concludes by suggesting some directions for future research on ethical AFNs in the Global South. These include more study of local agro‐food networks in the South, more explicit attention to the role of the State, and analysis of the discursive as well as material construction of ethical AFNs in global peripheries.

<p>The Peruvian Andes has long been portrayed as a space of poverty and marginalisation, but more recently Andean places have been reinterpreted as reservoirs of valuable patrimonio agroalimentario (agro-food heritage). Amidst global interest in food provenance and Peru’s gastronomic ‘boom’, Andean people and places have connected with different networks that value the geographical, ecological and social origins of food.  This thesis explores the meaning of these changes by combining a discourse genealogy with local case studies. I first trace the emergence of interconnecting discourses of territorial development with identity and local agro-food heritage in Latin America. I explore how these discourses bring together diverse actors and agendas through arguments that collective action to revalue local agro-food heritage can offer equitable economic gains while conserving biocultural diversity, a theoretical dynamic that I term the ‘virtuous circle of products with identity.’  These promises frame in-depth case studies of Cabanaconde and Tuti, two rural localities in the southern Peruvian Andes where a range of development initiatives based on local agro-food heritage were undertaken from around the mid-2000s. The case studies combine evaluation of the economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts of the initiatives, with ethnographic perspectives that look at them through the lens of local livelihoods.   The partial successes and multiple setbacks of the initiatives highlight the tensions between economic impact, social equity and biocultural diversity while underlining the limitations of existing markets to value the rich connections between place and food in the Andes. Nevertheless, by highlighting local agency in engaging selectively with these initiatives, I conclude that their overall legacy has been largely positive. I suggest that connections being made between place, food and development can provide material and discursive support for diverse territorial economies, defined as the locally specific ways people in the Andes pursue their aspirations while retaining what they value about place, farming and food.</p>

<p>Theories of Latin American underdevelopment have converged on neostructuralist approaches, which aim to promote more inclusive development through diversified economic activities with links to international markets. These include alternative forms of tourism, which are claimed to provide economic benefits to historically marginalised areas while supporting and enhancing traditional livelihoods. This study aimed to assess these claims by taking a broad political economy approach to evaluating the impact of rural tourism in the Colca Valley of southern Peru. Detailed case studies of two contrasting localities were linked with analysis of the wider economic, political and social context.  Field research in one case study area found that tourism had created opportunities for local families with existing skills and resources and had provided useful additional income for others but had involved only a minority of residents. Loss of control of tourism to the regional metropolis and destructive competition had resulted in diminishing returns and general dissatisfaction with the “disorderly” nature of tourism development. In another case study locality, a more cohesive social context and intensive support from external institutions had allowed the planned development of a rural tourism project that emphasised broad community participation, but the low tourist volumes to date were a constraint on progress. Nevertheless, throughout the Colca Valley tourism had contributed to the revalorization of local culture and identity and provided a platform for local selfassertion. The thesis argues that an appreciation of the wider economic and political context in Peru is crucial to understanding the way tourism has evolved in the case study areas. It suggests that more work to link local, grassroots perspectives with broad structuralist analysis would represent a fruitful research agenda in development studies.</p>

<p>Theories of Latin American underdevelopment have converged on neostructuralist approaches, which aim to promote more inclusive development through diversified economic activities with links to international markets. These include alternative forms of tourism, which are claimed to provide economic benefits to historically marginalised areas while supporting and enhancing traditional livelihoods. This study aimed to assess these claims by taking a broad political economy approach to evaluating the impact of rural tourism in the Colca Valley of southern Peru. Detailed case studies of two contrasting localities were linked with analysis of the wider economic, political and social context.  Field research in one case study area found that tourism had created opportunities for local families with existing skills and resources and had provided useful additional income for others but had involved only a minority of residents. Loss of control of tourism to the regional metropolis and destructive competition had resulted in diminishing returns and general dissatisfaction with the “disorderly” nature of tourism development. In another case study locality, a more cohesive social context and intensive support from external institutions had allowed the planned development of a rural tourism project that emphasised broad community participation, but the low tourist volumes to date were a constraint on progress. Nevertheless, throughout the Colca Valley tourism had contributed to the revalorization of local culture and identity and provided a platform for local selfassertion. The thesis argues that an appreciation of the wider economic and political context in Peru is crucial to understanding the way tourism has evolved in the case study areas. It suggests that more work to link local, grassroots perspectives with broad structuralist analysis would represent a fruitful research agenda in development studies.</p>

<p>The Peruvian Andes has long been portrayed as a space of poverty and marginalisation, but more recently Andean places have been reinterpreted as reservoirs of valuable patrimonio agroalimentario (agro-food heritage). Amidst global interest in food provenance and Peru’s gastronomic ‘boom’, Andean people and places have connected with different networks that value the geographical, ecological and social origins of food.  This thesis explores the meaning of these changes by combining a discourse genealogy with local case studies. I first trace the emergence of interconnecting discourses of territorial development with identity and local agro-food heritage in Latin America. I explore how these discourses bring together diverse actors and agendas through arguments that collective action to revalue local agro-food heritage can offer equitable economic gains while conserving biocultural diversity, a theoretical dynamic that I term the ‘virtuous circle of products with identity.’  These promises frame in-depth case studies of Cabanaconde and Tuti, two rural localities in the southern Peruvian Andes where a range of development initiatives based on local agro-food heritage were undertaken from around the mid-2000s. The case studies combine evaluation of the economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts of the initiatives, with ethnographic perspectives that look at them through the lens of local livelihoods.   The partial successes and multiple setbacks of the initiatives highlight the tensions between economic impact, social equity and biocultural diversity while underlining the limitations of existing markets to value the rich connections between place and food in the Andes. Nevertheless, by highlighting local agency in engaging selectively with these initiatives, I conclude that their overall legacy has been largely positive. I suggest that connections being made between place, food and development can provide material and discursive support for diverse territorial economies, defined as the locally specific ways people in the Andes pursue their aspirations while retaining what they value about place, farming and food.</p>