The political economy of alternative trade: Social and environmental certification in the South African wine industry

McEwan, Cheryl; Bek, David

doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2009.03.001

Cited by 50 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…In relation to Fair Trade wine, the existing literature is mainly concerned with the experience of South Africa 2 (Herman, 2010(Herman, , 2012Kruger and du Toit, 2007;McEwan and Bek, 2009a;Moseley, 2008), with only one contribution on Chile (Kleine, 2008) and none on Argentina so far. Kleine (2008) provides an optimistic take on Fair Trade wine.…”

Section: Fair Trade and The Wine Industry: Existing Approaches And Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality regimes in agro-food industries: A regulation theory reading of Fair Trade wine in Argentina

Staricco

Ponte

2015

Journal of Rural Studies

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a b s t r a c tIn this article, we examine the transformative potential of changing quality regimes in agro-food industries through the analysis of whether Fair Trade wine in Argentina provides a meaningful economic alternative that goes beyond the impact it has on direct beneficiaries. The wine sector has a long history in valorizing a variety of quality dimensions, and has developed one of the most complex and sophisticated quality infrastructures, making it an ideal terrain of analysis. Furthermore, it is going through a major process of restructuring in which the battle-lines are drawn along the application, challenge and re-interpretation of different quality content. Through the lenses of a sector-adjusted version of regulation theory, we show that the Fair Trade wine sector does not substantially deviate from the conventional wine economy in Argentina. Instead of empowering the most vulnerable groups, those producing table wine for the domestic market, Fair Trade is actually further marginalizing them.

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Section: Fair Trade and The Wine Industry: Existing Approaches And Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality regimes in agro-food industries: A regulation theory reading of Fair Trade wine in Argentina

Staricco

Ponte

2015

Journal of Rural Studies

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“…requirements of the alternative trade networks, which in most organizations involves organic certification. In particular, several authors note improved occupational health and safety in organizations that have some interface with fair trade and other standards (Martin et al 2006;McEwan and Bek 2009b;Nelson et al 2007;Robins et al 1999;Taylor 2007), even in cases where compliance with standards was low, as in the case of certain wine-producing organizations in South Africa (McEwan and Bek 2009a). Others report better health outcomes in organizations associated with fair trade due to lower chemical usage and more environmentally sustainable production methods (Conroy 2001;Cycon 2001;Torgerson 2007Udomkit and Winnett 2002).…”

Section: Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender, health, labor, and inequities: a review of the fair and alternative trade literature

2012

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Although research into fair and alternative trade networks has increased significantly in recent years, very little synthesis of the literature has occurred thus far, especially for social considerations such as gender, health, labor, and equity. We draw on insights from critical theorists to reflect on the current state of fair and alternative trade, draw out contradictions from within the existing research, and suggest actions to help the emancipatory potential of the movement. Using a systematic scoping review methodology, this paper reviews 129 articles and reports that discuss the social dimensions of fair and alternative trade experienced by Southern agricultural producers and workers. The results highlight gender, health, and labor dimensions of fair and alternative trade systems and suggest that diverse groups of producers and workers may be experiencing related inequities. By bringing together issues that are often only tangentially discussed in individual studies, the review gives rise to a picture that suggests that research on these issues is both needed and emerging. We end with a summary of key findings and considerations for future research and action.

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“…A large literature documents the effects and efficacy of certification and accreditation schemes on producers in the South, focusing on agricultural products (e.g. Mutersbaugh, 2002;Renard, 2005;Mutersbaugh et al 2005;Guthman, 2007;Ponte, 2008;McEwan & Bek, 2009;Bassett, 2010;Reynolds et al 2010;Marston, 2013). A second line of enquiry examines the effects of 'mainstreaming' on ethical producers (e.g.…”

Section: : Thinking Ethical Consumption Southmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making space for ethical consumption in the South

Gregson

Ferdous

2015

Geoforum

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Additional information:Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Abstract: This paper argues that, given the rapid growth in the middle classes across the Global South, debates about ethical consumption need to be reconfigured to admit these middle classes, not as a problem but as a possibility. It establishes the potential to constitute Southern consumption as a surface of mobilisation for ethical consumption and, through working from the specificities of the South in Bangladesh, demonstrates how within-South framings unsettle and challenge existing NorthSouth understandings of ethical consumption. The paper makes three specific contributions.(1) It shows how North-South conceptual understandings of ethical consumption as political consumption might be reworked to admit the South. (2) Through an examination of the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh it demonstrates the absence of a politics of consumer responsibility amongst the Bangladeshi middle classes, and suggests how a politics of responsibility might be forged, through paying attention to Southern brands and supply chains. (3) Through an examination of the Aarong retail brand of the corporate NGO BRAC, the paper shows that ethical consumption exists in Bangladesh, not as ethical consumption but as ordinary consumption with ethical effects. The paper concludes by considering the wider implications of these findings for furthering academic and practitioner debate.

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The political economy of alternative trade: Social and environmental certification in the South African wine industry

Cited by 50 publications

References 35 publications

Quality regimes in agro-food industries: A regulation theory reading of Fair Trade wine in Argentina

Quality regimes in agro-food industries: A regulation theory reading of Fair Trade wine in Argentina

Gender, health, labor, and inequities: a review of the fair and alternative trade literature

Making space for ethical consumption in the South

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