Global change in agrifood grades and standards: agribusiness strategic responses in developing countries

Reardon, Thomas; Codron, Jean Marie; Busch, Lawrence; Bingen, R. James; Harris, Craig K.

doi:10.1016/s1096-7508(01)00035-0

Cited by 276 publications

(180 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In the second place, retailer programmes may suffer from a weak environmental and social content, or, as is the case of the EUREPGAP programme for fruit and vegetables, an erosion of their content, as the sustainability standards lost much of their prominence during the last standard revision process in favour of food safety requirements. In the third place, retailer programmes, as previous research shows and our research confirms, may have discriminating effects on market access, especially for small producers (Henson & Loader 2001, Reardon et al 2001, Gibbon 2003, Dolan & Humphrey 2004, García Martinez & Poole 2004. These programmes typically seem to favour large-scale producers in developed as well as developing countries, because of the considerable investments in capital and human resources that are required for adaptation of the production operation.…”

Section: Consequences For the Governance System Of Food: Private Regusupporting

confidence: 57%

“…However, the rise of private actors in governance arrangements can also be explained from the viewpoint of economic interests, since regulatory initiatives may be used as a strategic instrument of competition (Reardon et al 2001). The latter argument touches upon the issue of power in economic relationships, an issue that is being studied in the context of global commodity chain analysis (GCCA) (see, for example, Gereffi 1999) and global value chain analysis (GVCA) (see, for example, Kaplinsky 2000).…”

Section: Governance and Value Chainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The international trade in food products has become increasingly competitive and globalized under the influence of trade liberalization (Atkins & Bowler 2001, Reardon et al 2001. One of the decisive factors in this process is the ever-growing market share of large retailers in combination with their increased global sourcing practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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European retailers as agents of change towards sustainability: The case of fruit production in Brazil

Grijp

Marsden

Cavalcanti

2005

Environmental Sciences

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Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713682447European retailers as agents of change towards sustainability: The case of fruit production in Brazil Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.informaworld.com/terms-and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. RESEARCH ARTICLEEuropean retailers as agents of change towards sustainability: The case of fruit production in Brazil NICOLIEN M. VAN Abstract As multinational food producers and large retailers are increasingly adopting programmes for safe and sustainable agriculture, they could play a role as 'agents of change' in the transition process towards socially and environmentally responsible production methods. This article argues that the present private-sector programmes indeed provide an impetus for farmers to change their production methods, but are at the same time a second-best option, because their scope is limited, they may suffer from a weak environmental and social content, they may have discriminating effects on market access, and they may lack democratic procedures. Therefore, it seems necessary that competing initiatives will be developed using a multi-stakeholder approach, because competition between certification programmes may give an impetus to raise their ambition level in terms of content and good governance. At the same time, governments could play a more active role by using regulatory intervention. Governments could work, for example, on minimum definitions of sustainable agricultural production methods, the restriction of concentrated buyer power and the assistance of smaller producers in coping with the new quality and safety requirements. The empirical focus of this article is on the retailer-led EUREPGAP programme for fruit and vegetables in combination with three fruit producing companies in Brazil.

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Section: Consequences For the Governance System Of Food: Private Regusupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Governance and Value Chainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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European retailers as agents of change towards sustainability: The case of fruit production in Brazil

Grijp

Marsden

Cavalcanti

2005

Environmental Sciences

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“…This trend is particularly recognizable in regions currently targeted by expansion strategies of retail corporations such as Eastern Europe and Asia. 7 Reardon et al (2001) report, for instance, that thousands of small dairy operations have gone out of business in the past five years in the extended Mercosur area, because the new quality and safety standards for milk and milk products implied large investments in equipment and buildings and coordination and management. Likewise, NGOs have pointed out that hundreds of thousands of small farmers in Africa are losing or will lose their living in the wake of the implementation of the GlobalGap standards (ActionAid 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Actors in private food governance: the legitimacy of retail standards and multistakeholder initiatives with civil society participation

Fuchs¹,

Kalfagianni²,

2009

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Democratic legitimacy is rarely associated with private governance. After all, private actors are not legitimized through elections by a demos. Instead of abandoning democratic principles when entering the private sphere of governance, however, this article argues in favour of employing alternative criteria of democracy in assessments. Specifically, this article uses the criteria of participation, transparency and accountability to evaluate the democratic legitimacy of private food retail governance institutions. It pursues this evaluation of the democratic legitimacy of these institutions against the background of their ambivalent impact on the sustainability of the global agrifood system. The paper refers to a range of cases of private retail standards with different governance structures and substantial foci to illustrate its argument.

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“…extension of governance to wider issues, such as management standards, environmental standards and, more recently, social standards that are observed by suppliers (Nadvi 2008, Nadvi K & Wältring 2004, Reardon et al 2001, Gibbon & Ponte 2005, Tallontire 2007, Hatanaka et al 2006). …”

Section: Reorganising Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Localizing Private Social Standards: Standard Initiatives in Kenyan Cut Flowers

Riisgaard¹

2010

Global Agro-Food Trade and Standards

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Global change in agrifood grades and standards: agribusiness strategic responses in developing countries

Cited by 276 publications

References 13 publications

European retailers as agents of change towards sustainability: The case of fruit production in Brazil

European retailers as agents of change towards sustainability: The case of fruit production in Brazil

Actors in private food governance: the legitimacy of retail standards and multistakeholder initiatives with civil society participation

Localizing Private Social Standards: Standard Initiatives in Kenyan Cut Flowers

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