Download or read book Analyzing Organic and Fairtrade Certification Schemes Participation and Welfare Effects on Small Scale Farmers in Coffee Value Chains written by Tina Beuchelt and published by Cuvillier Verlag. This book was released on 2012-05-30 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organic and Fairtrade certified coffees have become very popular among socially, environmentally and health conscious consumers in recent years. As consumers pay higher prices for these certified coffees, it is commonly assumed that, compared to conventional coffee, better producer prices are paid and that higher shares of the added value in consuming countries trickle down to the producers. Coffee certifications are thus supposed to benefit the coffee producers. Coffee is an important export good for many developing countries. The majority of global coffee production comes from around 20-25 million smallholder families in developing countries. As individual certifications are too expensive smallholders have to participate in farmer organizations, e.g. cooperatives, in order to access cheaper group certification. Governments and international donors support coffee certification schemes and assume that these link farmers to high-value markets, increase producers’ incomes, change power and information asymmetries in value chains, and contribute to poverty reduction. Yet, there is only weak empirical evidence that justifies this support. There are few quantitative studies which applied random sampling techniques, and analyzed the effects of certification schemes in regard of gross margins, profits, income shares and poverty levels of certified smallholder coffee producers. The role of cooperatives for the success of certification schemes has been neglected by research. The available studies have methodological limitations, for example they are based on qualitative methods only, include no more than one cooperative or one certification standard, or cooperatives are non-randomly sampled. This research seeks to fill the identified knowledge and methodological gaps. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research, the production and marketing strategies of small-scale coffee producers in northern Nicaragua are compared based on producers that are organized in conventional, organic, and Organic-Fairtrade certified cooperatives. The analysis addresses (i) the smallholders’ household level and (ii) the organizational and institutional level with regard of the cooperatives and respective coffee value chains. The study aims at, first, identifying the socio-economic costs and benefits of participation in organic and Organic-Fairtrade certified coffee chains with respect to level of coffee and household incomes as well as household poverty. Second, it is examined which role the farmer organizations, their respective business models and upgrading strategies, play for the success or failure of certification schemes. Third, the integration of coffee farmers and their cooperatives into the coffee value chain, the structure and functioning of the value chains and the value adding effect of certification is examined. The survey was conducted in the northern Nicaragua departments Madriz, Nueva Segovia, and Matagalpa on coffee farms situated between 900m and 1300m a.s.l. The coffee of all farmers was classified as ‘Strictly High Grown’; the species is Coffea Arabica. The sample design ensured that the research region was homogeneous with respect to living conditions, socio-economic level, as well as coffee growing characteristics driving performance of coffee farmers. After having randomly selected the cooperatives, 327 coffee producing households were also randomly selected and surveyed with a structured questionnaire. Qualitative data collection consisted in total of 58 key-person interviews, 67 semi-structured farmer interviews and 24 focus group discussions with coffee farmers. The primary data was collected during two research stays in 2007 and 2008. This research analyzes gross margins, accounting and economic profits of coffee production. The household income is measured and a poverty headcount index elaborated. Principal component analysis is used to determine current relative poverty levels and the development of relative poverty over time. A SWOT analysis identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of cooperatives. Through a value chain analysis information on the actors, power and information flows as well as price shares is gained. For identifying the farmers’ experiences with coffee certification schemes, a thematic analysis is applied to the qualitative data by developing an individual code system for datareduction. In the research region, the coffee yields of conventional and certified coffee smallholders are usually 40% to 50% lower than national average due to limited maintenance activities and inadequately managed coffee plantations. Highest yields (on average around 480kg/ha) are achieved by organic producers but yield levels vary, like for conventional and Organic-Fairtrade certified producers, between the cooperatives (ranging from 293kg/ha to 516kg/ha). In comparison to conventional prices, Organic-Fairtrade certified coffee achieved on average 11% and organic coffee 8% higher farm-gate prices; price differences between cooperatives also exist. Organic production processes require fewer purchased inputs but are more laborious. Due to constrained availability of family labor, additional labor has to be hired which offsets saved input costs. The higher prices of certified coffees compensate for production costs but fail to increase per hectare gross margins and profits in the case of Organic-Fairtrade farmers compared to conventional produces. Due to higher yield levels, organic producers experience an increase in per hectare gross margins and profits. They have with 328US$/ha a significantly higher economic profit than Organic-Fairtrade farmers (147US$/ha) and conventional farmers (191US$/ha). Yet, as they tend to have smaller coffee areas and larger family sizes, the increase in gross margins does not result in improved per capita net coffee incomes for organic certified producers compared to the other groups. Also Organic-Fairtrade certified producers do not have higher per capita net coffee incomes than conventional producers. Among organic and Organic-Fairtrade certified producers, a higher share of households is grouped below the extreme poverty line than among conventional producers (45% compared to 30%) – which means that they cannot cover their food requirements. Between 60% and 70% of conventional and certified coffee producers are below the national poverty line. Using principal component analysis to investigate several dimensions of poverty and their development over time, it was found that over a period of ten years, organic certified producers became relatively poorer. In the year 1997, all groups had similar relative poverty levels. The Organic-Fairtrade certified producers first improved their relative poverty status during the coffee crisis (in 2002) and were relatively better off than conventional producers. Since then, the relative poverty levels of Organic-Fairtrade producers deteriorated compared to conventional producers. Irrespective of whether farmers were certified or not, Nicaragua’s coffee smallholders face two to three months of food shortages per year during which they seek off-farm employment, and apply for formal and informal credits. In many cases the credit is used for immediate consumption needs, like food or medicine, and only partially invested in the farm. Consequently, harvested yields stay low, leading to low incomes and new credit requirements. When farmers are financially illiterate or requested higher credits than their payment capacity, they are likely to enter a vicious cycle of indebtedness. Each cooperative has a unique business model; they differ, for example, in member size, functions and services, internal organization, and financial characteristics. Despite their different business models the cooperatives often choose the same upgrading strategies as other cooperatives mainly certification, quality, and own processing. The analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOTs) showed that the cooperatives have certain SWOTs in common but there are also cooperative specific SWOTs. The common strength of the cooperatives is the quality potential of the region. The common weaknesses relate to the lack of credit access, a weak extension system, and weak rural infrastructure. The common threats of the cooperatives are high competition among national coffee buyers and cooperatives, corruption and mismanagement, and, according to the qualitative interviews, increasing microclimatic variations and unreliable rainfall patterns. The common opportunities range from more horizontal coordination to reduce transaction costs to share certificates acknowledging the members’ possessions in the cooperative and increased transparency about deductions on payments. Qualitative evaluation indicated no obvious association between the coffee certification strategy of farmers/their cooperative and the coffee gross margins farmers obtained. The upgrading strategies of cooperatives, the strengths and weaknesses as well as the amount of coffee-related services, which the cooperative offers to producers, tend to be more related to coffee gross margins than the organic or Organic-Fairtrade certification. Farmers are found to have no bargaining power over prices irrespective of the value chain, while certified cooperatives have limited bargaining power towards their buyers compared to cooperatives in the conventional chain. Power is unequally distributed between buyers and sellers of coffee in all chains. The quantity and quality of information flows depends on the cooperative and value chain model. Information asymmetries are fewer in certified chains; yet this also depends on the cooperative. Organic-Fairtrade certified value chains tend to have more and smaller-sized actors, especially in consuming countries, compared to the conventional chain. This increases transaction costs in the certified value chains and thus leads to substantially lower producers’ share of the final coffee retail price (8%-15% in certified chains compared to 24%-34% in conventional chains). The presented results depend strongly on each cooperative and there are large variations within the organic and Organic-Fairtrade certified cooperatives. It can be concluded that higher farm-gate coffee prices do not lead necessarily to higher per capita net coffee and household income, as yield levels, production costs, family and land size, as well as labor availability play important roles. Organic or Organic-Fairtrade certification as an upgrading strategy seems only then successful when the business model of a cooperative, its strengths, weaknesses, and other upgrading strategies are supportive. Given the constraints mentioned above, a well functioning cooperative is a necessary but not sufficient condition. This was shown by the example of one well run Organic-Fairtrade certified cooperative with low gross margins showed. The main causes of continuing poverty among smallholder coffee growers in northern Nicaragua seem not the lack of market access or so-called ‘unfair’ trading conditions. Based on the qualitative analysis, reasons for poverty are lack of entrepreneurial and management skills of farmers and cooperative staff, financial illiteracy and indebtedness of farmers as well as a very weak rural infrastructure. Based on the quantitative results potential reasons for poverty are low yield and productivity levels, land and labor constraints. Certification schemes do not address or are able to solve these problems. Prices for certified coffee cannot compensate for low productivity, land or labor constraints. Therefore, certification schemes can only be part of a viable development policy for poor small-scale farmers in northern Nicaragua; the production, infrastructural, organizational and institutional problems mentioned above require even more attention from policy makers. It is recommended that policies, which aim at increasing smallholder coffee incomes through upgrading, should focus apart from production aspects on the institutional context of smallholders and their cooperatives. Regarding coffee production, policies should address coffee yield levels, for example through research investments in improved, stress-tolerant and locally adapted varieties to encounter the microclimatic variations. Coffee quality in the region should be further strengthened by a supportive coffee sector strategy at the national level, which should include a national coffee institute or federation like in Colombia or Costa Rica. This should be accompanied by investments in rural infrastructure. It is recommended to establish an efficient extension system which also addresses the entrepreneurial skills of farmers. This could be also in form of facilitating the establishment of extension associations which could operate regionally and be financed by their members’ contribution. In order to better link farmers to (high-value) markets and to increase their income, it is recommended to focus more on the structure and functioning of producer organizations and their respective value chains. Business and strategic advice to cooperatives is necessary, as cooperative leaders and staff are not fit for international markets, in which they have to act. A banking system which also provides credits to cooperatives (at market interest rates and lending conditions) would reduce the reliance and dependence on exporters or international credit providers and could ease liquidity constraints of cooperatives. An obligatory annual external auditing of cooperatives, like it exists in other countries, is considered to be important to reduce mismanagement of a cooperative. It will also increase the creditworthiness of cooperatives for banks. Trade, processing, and marketing efficiencies in the organic but especially in the Fairtrade value chains in consuming countries need to be improved in the alternative trade sector with its many small profit or non-profit enterprizes and organizations. These actors could consolidate to exert economies of scale and reduce their transaction costs. Consolidation is certainly a new way of thinking in the alternative trade sector but could effectively contribute to improve farmers’ shares of retail prices and raise farm-gate coffee prices.

Download or read book Organic certification schemes managerial skills and associated costs Synthesis report from case studies in the rice and vegetable sectors written by Santacoloma, P. and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2007 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper studies alternative certification schemes for organic products in order to draw conclusions regarding the institutional support and technological development required for compliance with organic standards. It discusses third party certification, for both individuals and farmer groups, as well as participatory certification. Case studies from developing countries and countries in transition engaged in organic rice and organic fruit and vegetable production are examined. Issues analysed include the organizational structure and marketing strategies in the organic supply chain. The paper also discusses the institutional development that is needed to provide business and technical services and establish the quality assurance system. Organizational, managerial and business skills required by the lead stakeholders in the organic chain are analysed as well as the costs that they incur for effectively managing organic projects. Similarly, the managerial skills required at the farm level are considered as is the use of cost-benefit analysis. The paper also reviews the legal and institutional framework that facilitates organic production and certification. The paper is aimed at staff of government, private and non-government organizations working at the policy level and in the field, and at donors' organizations that support organic production and certification.

Download or read book Small scale farmers certification schemes and private standards written by Kuit, M. and published by CTA. This book was released on 2014-10-04 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Certification of agricultural products (organic certification, Fairtrade etc.) is often expected to provide a wide array of benefits for small-scale farmers. These include poverty alleviation, reduced environmental impact and food safety. This wide-ranging synthesis of 270 studies presents an analysis of the benefits – but also the costs – of such schemes. Crucially it demonstrates that the decision to invest must be based on sound economic principles. Clearly laid out and argued, the text also provides recommendations to improve the certification business case and impact on smallholders.

Download or read book International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy 2016 written by Harald Ginzky and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-02-13 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first volume of the International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy includes an important discussion on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals that are the basis for the post-2015 development agenda up to the year 2030; the Yearbook focuses in particular on Goal 15, which includes achieving a “land degradation-neutral world.” It also provides a comprehensive and highly informative overview of the latest developments at the international level, important cross-disciplinary issues and different approaches in national legislation. The book is divided into four sections. Forewords by internationally renowned academics and politicians are followed by an analysis of the content and structure of the Sustainable Development Goals with regard to soil and land as well as the scientific methods for their implementation. In addition, all relevant international regimes are discussed, including the latest developments, such as the decisions made at the 12th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The next section deals with cross-disciplinary issues relevant to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals like the right to food, land tenure, migration and the “Economics of Land Degradation” initiative. The last section gathers reports on the development of national legislation from various nations and supra-national entities, including Brazil, China, the European Union, Mongolia, Namibia and the United States. Addressing this broad range of key topics, the book offers an indispensible tool for all academics, legislators and policymakers working in this field. The “International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy” is a book series that discusses the central questions of law and politics with regard to the protection and sustainable management of soil and land – at the international, national and regional level.

Download or read book Fair Trade and Organic Agriculture written by Priyanka Parvathi and published by CABI. This book was released on 2017-12-21 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The markets for organic and fair trade certified commodities are growing rapidly, with environmentally sound and more equitable certification systems likely to offer benefits for both small-scale farmers and society at large. Despite much debate about their contribution to sustainability, there has been little scientific analysis, so it is vital to assess if it is technically and economically feasible to meet growing consumer demands regarding food safety, quality and ethics through smallholder and marginal producers. Overall, there is a need to explore the potential of these certification systems as emerging areas in research and development cooperation. This book is an important read for researchers and students in agricultural and development economics, and it is also a useful resource for policy makers and practitioners involved in organic and fair trade agriculture.

Download or read book Fair Trade Without the Froth written by Sushil Mohan and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Theory of Fair Trade; Is Fair Trade Free Market?; Benefits & Detriments of Fair Trade; Alternatives to Fair Trade; Fair Trade as a Long-Term Development; Conclusion.

Download or read book Fair Trade and Organic Initiatives in Asian Agriculture written by Rie Makita and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-03-16 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In addition to constituting an evolving area of inquiry within the social sciences, agricultural certification, and particularly its Fair Trade and organic components, has emerged as a significant tool for promoting rural development in the global South. This book is unique for two reasons. First, in contrast to existing studies that have tended to examine Fair Trade and organic certification as independent systems, the studies presented in this book reveal their joint application within actual production settings, demonstrating the greater complexity entailed in these double certification systems through the generation of contradictions and tensions compared with single certification systems. Second, the authors, who are both Asian, reveal the realities of applying Fair Trade and organic certification systems within Asian agriculture. In doing so, they challenge the fact that most Fair Trade studies have been undertaken by Western scholars who have tended to focus on Latin American and African producers. Drawing on a wealth of grounded case studies conducted in India, Thailand, and the Philippines, this pioneering study on double certification makes a significant contribution to studies on Fair Trade and organic agriculture beyond Asia.

Download or read book Tropentag 2015 written by Eric Tielkes and published by Cuvillier Verlag. This book was released on 2015-09-01 with total page 806 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Large quantities of water are appropriated to produce the feed annually consumed in global livestock production. Rising concerns about increasing competition for water resources and projected increase in demand for livestock products make it imperative to look for strategies to sustainably increase livestock production, with water being one key natural resource to consider. Using a combination of different datasets, a mechanistic livestock model, and a dynamic vegetation model, we estimate the annual consumptive water use (CWU) in the global livestock sector associated with crops and fodder cultivated on cropland and grazed biomass from pastures.

Download or read book Coffee value chain analysis written by Mwesigye, F., Nguyen, H. and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2020-11-19 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study aims to analyze the coffee value chain in Uganda and identify opportunities and constraints for enhancing youth employment. Coffee is one of the key agricultural commodities in the Government of Uganda’s pursuance of sustainable growth and job creation, especially for the rapidly expanding youth population. The study outlines a significant number of job opportunities for young people along this value chain, not only in production but increasingly in processing, trade and marketing, as well as service provision. It also suggests strategic upgrading options and outlines concrete policy actions to maximize youth participation in and benefits from the coffee sub-sector.

Download or read book The Handbook of Security written by Martin Gill and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-02-26 with total page 1072 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The substantially revised second edition of the Handbook of Security provides the most comprehensive analysis of scholarly security debates and issues to date. Including contributions from some of the world's leading scholars it critiques the way security is provided and managed.

Download or read book Fair trade and development written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: International Development Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-06-14 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fair trade and Development : Seventh report of session 2006-07, Vol. 2: Oral and written Evidence

Download or read book Consumer Behaviour towards Organic Food and Performance of Certification Standards written by Carlos Antonio Padilla Bravo and published by Cuvillier Verlag. This book was released on 2013-06-04 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Predicting and understanding consumer behaviour in food markets is a complex task. One aspect that has contributed to increase the complexity of the analysis of consumer choice behaviour is the rise of credence goods in the food industry. Among credence goods or attributes, organic farming currently enjoys a privileged position in the agribusiness sector. The available body of organic food literature, however, suggests that there is conflicting evidence about the main forces driving consumer decision-making in different organic markets. Thus, to sustain the current success of the organic food market it is critical to increase the understanding of consumer choice behaviour. Despite the efforts made by the food industry to satisfy more sophisticated consumer demands, the outbreak of several food crises and scandals with intensive media coverage and the use of food-related technologies have increased consumer risk-perception in the food industry. As a result, public and private certification schemes to communicate and guarantee food quality and safety to consumers have proliferated. Although certification schemes have been designed to protect consumers and correct for market imperfections, they have sometimes failed in this respect with detrimental consequences for their reputation and their acceptance by different actors throughout the whole food supply chain. Analysing survey data and official reports with multivariate statistical methods this dissertation aims to answer a set of research questions and fill research gaps in the food literature with respect to consumer behaviour in the organic food market and the performance of certification standards in the (organic) food industry. Additionally, some aspects regarding consumer behaviour towards homemade food are discussed. These topics are covered in six research articles, which are collected in this book into three chapters.

Download or read book Ethics in Consumer Choice written by Nina Langen and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ​This dissertation elaborates differences and similarities of forms of ethical behaviour in general and analyses whether German consumers differentiate between different types of ethical behaviour in particular. The thesis is characterised by its intensive combination of theoretical and empirical research. It furthermore contributes to the literature as the method triangulation applied in the different surveys reveals previously unknown relationships between different kinds of ethical behaviour, such as ethical consumption and charitable giving, as well as between different forms of ethical products. Choice experiment, latent class analysis, information display matrix and item-based attitude assessment allowed the comparison of stated and revealed preferences as well as an analysis of the relevance of ethical product features within the context of different product and process attributes. The dissertation provides insights into a research field which is becoming more and more relevant and improves the understanding of consumers’ assessment and the interdependencies of the possibilities of ethical behaviour. This allows the development of recommendations for consumer policy makers, business and NGOs concerned with the ethics of consumer choice as well as future research on ethical behaviour in general and ethical consumption in particular.

Download or read book The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2020 written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2020-09-23 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2020 (SOCO 2020) aims to discuss policies and mechanisms that promote sustainable outcomes – economic, social and environmental – in agricultural and food markets, both global and domestic. The analysis is organized along the trends and challenges that lie at the heart of global discussions on trade and development. These include the evolution of trade and markets; the emergence of global value chains in food and agriculture; the extent to which smallholder farmers in developing countries participate in value chains and markets; and the transformative impacts of digital technology on markets. Along these themes, SOCO 2020 discusses policies and institutions that can promote inclusive economic growth and also harness markets to contribute towards the realization of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.

Download or read book The Processes and Practices of Fair Trade written by Brigitte Granville and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-10-02 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fairtrade is a pressing international issue and this interdisciplinary volume offers various perspectives from economic, business, law and ethics. Both editors have an excellent publishing record.

Download or read book Exploring Fair Trade Timber written by Duncan Macqueen and published by IIED. This book was released on 2006 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Research Handbook on Global Governance Business and Human Rights written by Marx, Axel and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2022-03-10 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This essential Research Handbook provides a comprehensive and critical assessment of the global governance instruments related to business and human rights from an interdisciplinary perspective. Contributions from a diverse range of leading international scholars offer an overview of the existing literature and rapidly-evolving research discipline, as well as identifying key trends and outlining an ambitious future research agenda.