IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v27y2018i2p252-262.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sector, Landscape or Rural Transformations? Exploring the Limits and Potential of Agricultural Sustainability Initiatives through a Cocoa Case Study

Author

Listed:
  • Valerie Nelson
  • David Phillips

Abstract

This paper analyses the changing nature of sustainability initiatives and their capacity to tackle sustainability challenges, focusing on cocoa in West Africa, and distilling lessons pertinent across agro‐export industries and regions. Using data from empirical studies, literature review and consultations with key cocoa actors, we find ‘sustainable’ cocoa at a critical juncture. Applying an existing theoretical framework that distinguishes between resilience, transition and transformation of systems, we explore and analyse previous, current and future sustainability responses. We conclude that there are important innovations and upscaling of investment occurring in the cocoa sector on sustainability, but also that current approaches risk achieving only incremental change, helping to sustain the industry under deteriorating conditions (resilience), without enabling smallholders to claim rights and greater representation (transition) or tackling more fundamental root causes of the vulnerability of smallholders (transformation). Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Suggested Citation

  • Valerie Nelson & David Phillips, 2018. "Sector, Landscape or Rural Transformations? Exploring the Limits and Potential of Agricultural Sustainability Initiatives through a Cocoa Case Study," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 252-262, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:27:y:2018:i:2:p:252-262
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.2014
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2014
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.2014?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anne Tallontire & Maggie Opondo & Valerie Nelson & Adrienne Martin, 2011. "Beyond the vertical? Using value chains and governance as a framework to analyse private standards initiatives in agri-food chains," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 28(3), pages 427-441, September.
    2. Sylvaine Lemeilleur & Youssoupha N'Dao & François Ruf, 2015. "The productivist rationality behind a sustainable certification process: evidence from the Rainforest Alliance in the Ivorian cocoa sector," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 18(4), pages 310-328.
    3. Walter J.V. Vermeulen, 2015. "Self‐Governance for Sustainable Global Supply Chains: Can it Deliver the Impacts Needed?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 73-85, February.
    4. Valerie Nelson & Anne Tallontire, 2014. "Battlefields of ideas: changing narratives and power dynamics in private standards in global agricultural value chains," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(3), pages 481-497, September.
    5. Simon Bolwig & Stefano Ponte & Andries du Toit & Lone Riisgaard & Niels Halberg, 2010. "Integrating Poverty and Environmental Concerns into Value-Chain Analysis: A Conceptual Framework," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 28(2), pages 173-194, March.
    6. Mirjam A F Ros-Tonen & Yves-Pierre Benoît Van Leynseele & Anna Laven & Terry Sunderland, 2015. "Landscapes of Social Inclusion: Inclusive Value-Chain Collaboration Through the Lenses of Food Sovereignty and Landscape Governance," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 27(4), pages 523-540, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Verina Ingram & Fedes Van Rijn & Yuca Waarts & Henk Gilhuis, 2018. "The Impacts of Cocoa Sustainability Initiatives in West Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Jeana Cadby & Tetsuya Araki, 2021. "Towards ethical chocolate: multicriterial identifiers, pricing structures, and the role of the specialty cacao industry in sustainable development," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(3), pages 1-36, March.
    3. Victoria A. Maguire-Rajpaul & Vinesh M. Rajpaul & Constance L. McDermott & Luís Fernando Guedes Pinto, 2020. "Coffee certification in Brazil: compliance with social standards and its implications for social equity," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 2015-2044, March.
    4. Simon R. Swaffield & Robert C. Corry & Paul Opdam & Wendy McWilliam & Jørgen Primdahl, 2019. "Connecting business with the agricultural landscape: business strategies for sustainable rural development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(7), pages 1357-1369, November.
    5. Tennhardt, Lina & Lazzarini, Gianna & Weisshaidinger, Rainer & Schader, Christian, 2022. "Do environmentally-friendly cocoa farms yield social and economic co-benefits?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    6. Sánchez, Andrea C. & Kamau, Hannah N. & Grazioli, Francesca & Jones, Sarah K., 2022. "Financial profitability of diversified farming systems: A global meta-analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    7. Manyise, Timothy & Dentoni, Domenico, 2021. "Value chain partnerships and farmer entrepreneurship as balancing ecosystem services: Implications for agri-food systems resilience," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    8. Ibrahim Prazeres & Maria Raquel Lucas & Ana Marta-Costa, 2021. "Cocoa Markets and Value Chains: Implications For Sao Tome and Principe Organic Smallholders," International Journal of Innovation and Economic Development, Inovatus Services Ltd., vol. 7(2), pages 64-76, June.
    9. Tannis Thorlakson, 2018. "A move beyond sustainability certification: The evolution of the chocolate industry's sustainable sourcing practices," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1653-1665, December.
    10. van der Haar, S. & Gallagher, E.J. & Schoneveld, G.C. & Slingerland, M.A. & Leeuwis, C., 2023. "Climate-smart cocoa in forest landscapes: Lessons from institutional innovations in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    11. Marcos A. Lastiri-Hernández & D. Álvarez-Bernal & R. Moncayo-Estrada & G. Cruz-Cárdenas & J. T. Silva García, 2021. "Adoption of phytodesalination as a sustainable agricultural practice for improving the productivity of saline soils," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 8798-8814, June.
    12. Xiaowei Chen & Tianyu Zhang & Fu Jia, 2020. "Industry convergence as a strategy for achieving sustainable development of agricultural complex: The case of Sandun‐Lanli in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2679-2694, September.
    13. Marco Lerro & Maria Raimondo & Marcello Stanco & Concetta Nazzaro & Giuseppe Marotta, 2019. "Cause Related Marketing among Millennial Consumers: The Role of Trust and Loyalty in the Food Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-16, January.
    14. Janina Grabs & Sophia Louise Carodenuto, 2021. "Traders as sustainability governance actors in global food supply chains: A research agenda," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1314-1332, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stéphane Guéneau, 2018. "Neoliberalism and the Emergence of Private Sustainability Initiatives: The Case of the Brazilian Cattle Value Chain," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 240-251, February.
    2. Valerie Nelson & Anne Tallontire, 2014. "Battlefields of ideas: changing narratives and power dynamics in private standards in global agricultural value chains," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(3), pages 481-497, September.
    3. Howard, Rebecca Joy & Tallontire, Anne & Stringer, Lindsay & Marchant, Rob, 2015. "Unraveling the Notion of “Fair Carbon”: Key Challenges for Standards Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 343-356.
    4. Sietze Vellema & Greetje Schouten & Rob Van Tulder, 2020. "Partnering capacities for inclusive development in food provisioning," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 38(6), pages 710-727, November.
    5. J. Dara Bloom, 2014. "Civil Society in Hybrid Governance: Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Legitimacy in Mediating Wal-Mart’s Local Produce Supply Chains in Honduras," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(10), pages 1-24, October.
    6. Arato, Miguel & Spellman, Stijn & Dessein, Joost & van Huylenbroeck, Guido, 2016. "Assessment of socio-economic configuration of value chains: a proposed analysis framework to facilitate integration of small rural producers with global agribusiness," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 20(1), October.
    7. Wilson Charles Wilson & Maja Slingerland & Frederick P. Baijukya & Hannah Zanten & Simon Oosting & Ken E. Giller, 2021. "Integrating the soybean-maize-chicken value chains to attain nutritious diets in Tanzania," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(6), pages 1595-1612, December.
    8. Rich, Karl M. & Ross, R. Brent & Baker, A. Derek & Negassa, Asfaw, 2011. "Quantifying value chain analysis in the context of livestock systems in developing countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 214-222, April.
    9. Mukhamedova, Nozilakhon & Wegerich, Kai, 2018. "The feminization of agriculture in post-Soviet Tajikistan," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 57, pages 128-139.
    10. Oyedeji, Oluwafemi A. & Babatunde, Rapheal O., 2022. "Analysis of Maize Biomass-based Value Web and Household Livelihood Security in Nigeria," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322201, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. Ximena Rueda & Andrea Paz & Theodora Gibbs‐Plessl & Ronald Leon & Byron Moyano & Eric F Lambin, 2018. "Smallholders at a Crossroad: Intensify or Fall behind? Exploring Alternative Livelihood Strategies in a Globalized World," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 215-229, February.
    12. Mengina Gilli & Muriel Côte & Gretchen Walters, 2020. "Gatekeeping Access: Shea Land Formalization and the Distribution of Market-Based Conservation Benefits in Ghana’s CREMA," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-15, September.
    13. Ghulam-Muhammad Shah & Farid Ahmad & Shailesh Panwar & Manbar S. Khadka & Ajaz Ali & Suman Bisht, 2019. "Ocimum Sanctum [ Tulsi ]—An Alternative Additional Livelihood Option for the Poor and Smallholder Farmers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, January.
    14. Ollendorf, Franziska & Sieber, Stefan & Löhr, Katharina, 2023. "Societal dynamics of sustainability certification in Ghanaian cocoa producing communities: Assessing social cohesion effects and their implications for collective action," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 47(2), pages 212-238.
    15. Hendrik Feyaerts & Goedele Van den Broeck & Miet Maertens, 2020. "Global and local food value chains in Africa: A review," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 143-157, January.
    16. Glasbergen, Pieter, 2018. "Smallholders do not Eat Certificates," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 243-252.
    17. Mariachiara Colucci & Alessandra Vecchi, 2021. "Close the loop: Evidence on the implementation of the circular economy from the Italian fashion industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 856-873, February.
    18. Johanna Gammelgaard & Stine Haakonsson & Sine Nørholm Just, 2021. "Linking Malawi’s agricultural sector to global value chains: The case for community governance," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(4), pages 523-540, December.
    19. Christopher J. Johnstone, 2022. "Conceptualising inclusive development by identifying universality, plurality, sociality, and relationality," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(6), pages 1165-1175, August.
    20. Donovan, Jason & Poole, Nigel, 2014. "Changing asset endowments and smallholder participation in higher value markets: Evidence from certified coffee producers in Nicaragua," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 1-13.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:27:y:2018:i:2:p:252-262. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.