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Small farmer cooperatives and voluntary coffee certifications: Rewarding progressive farmers of engendering widespread change in Costa Rica?

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  • Snider, Anna
  • Gutiérrez, Isabel
  • Sibelet, Nicole
  • Faure, Guy

Abstract

Our research examines the benefits and drawbacks for cooperatives who participate in voluntary coffee certifications. We interviewed administrators at twenty Costa Rican coffee cooperatives about management practices related to voluntary certification. Voluntary certifications are popular among coffee cooperatives. Access to certified markets is facilitated by state support of the cooperative sector, regulation of the coffee sector and well-enforced environmental and social laws. However, there are no significant or consistent financial incentives for farmers to pursue certification. Multiple certifications may lower auditing and implementation costs, but cooperatives rarely receive the full premium for multiply-certified coffee. Low market demand for certified coffee, weak price incentives and high auditing and management costs encourage cooperatives to certify only a portion of their members. This strategy rewards compliant farmers rather than inducing widespread change to farming practices among the entire membership. Though financial incentives are weak, certifications offer non-financial benefits to both farmers and cooperatives, including better management and more resilient cooperatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Snider, Anna & Gutiérrez, Isabel & Sibelet, Nicole & Faure, Guy, 2017. "Small farmer cooperatives and voluntary coffee certifications: Rewarding progressive farmers of engendering widespread change in Costa Rica?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 231-242.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:69:y:2017:i:c:p:231-242
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.04.009
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    3. Min Liu & Jinxiu Yang & Guoquan Zheng & Ping Shang & Yipei Li, 2023. "External Factors Facilitating Quality Certification of Agricultural Products in China: Insights from Cooperatives in the Sichuan Province," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-15, May.
    4. Yu, Yanan & He, Yong & Zhao, Xuan, 2021. "Impact of demand information sharing on organic farming adoption: An evolutionary game approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
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    6. Guangcheng Wei & Xiangzhi Kong & Yumeng Wang, 2022. "Will Joining Cooperative Promote Farmers to Replace Chemical Fertilizers with Organic Fertilizers?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-14, December.
    7. Mei-Yin Kuan & Szu-Yung Wang & Jiun-Hao Wang, 2021. "Investigating the Association between Farmers’ Organizational Participation and Types of Agricultural Product Certifications: Empirical Evidence from a National Farm Households Survey in Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-18, August.
    8. Sara D. Elder, 2019. "The impact of supermarket supply chain governance on smallholder farmer cooperatives: the case of Walmart in Nicaragua," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(2), pages 213-224, June.
    9. Joselyne Najera & Paula Arzadun & Monica Navarro & Martin Solis, 2018. "High-Quality Input Choice under Uncertainty and Ambiguity: An Exploratory Study of Costa Rica's Coffee Sector," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 10(5), pages 156-166.
    10. Jorge Sellare & Eva‐Marie Meemken & Christophe Kouamé & Matin Qaim, 2020. "Do Sustainability Standards Benefit Smallholder Farmers Also When Accounting For Cooperative Effects? Evidence from Côte d'Ivoire," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 102(2), pages 681-695, March.
    11. Ruifeng Liu & Zhifeng Gao & Rodolfo M. Nayga & Lijia Shi & Les Oxley & Hengyun Ma, 2020. "Can “green food” certification achieve both sustainable practices and economic benefits in a transitional economy? The case of kiwifruit growers in Henan Province, China," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(4), pages 675-692, October.
    12. Yi Qu & Jing Zhang & Zhenning Wang & Xinning Ma & Guangcheng Wei & Xiangzhi Kong, 2023. "The Future of Agriculture: Obstacles and Improvement Measures for Chinese Cooperatives to Achieve Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-22, January.
    13. Bo Wang & Po-Yuan Cheng & Brian Lee & Lih-Chyun Sun & Hung-Hao Chang, 2019. "Does Participation in Agricultural Cooperatives Affect Farm Sustainability? Empirical Evidence from Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-12, September.

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