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Exploring the potential of intersectoral partnerships to improve the position of farmers in global agrifood chains: findings from the coffee sector in Peru

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  • Verena Bitzer
  • Pieter Glasbergen
  • Bas Arts

Abstract

Despite their recent proliferation in global agricultural commodity chains, little is known about the potential of intersectoral partnerships to improve the position of smallholder farmers and their organizations. This article explores the potential of partnerships by developing a conceptual approach based on the sustainable livelihoods and linking farmers to market perspectives, which is applied in an exploratory study to six partnerships in the coffee sector in Peru. It is concluded that partnerships stimulate the application of standards to receive market access and therefore emphasize human capital development of farmers to facilitate certification. By transferring knowledge to farmers, partnerships present a new source of technological change, which, in combination with certification, holds potential for improved environmental management and price premiums for producers. However, the emphasis on certification results in a comparatively narrow target group of farmers and is associated with high financial burdens for producer organizations. At the same time, other assets of producer organizations are often not strengthened sufficiently for them to operate successfully without further external support. This suggests that preparing producers for certification is prioritized over empowering organizations toward self-dependence. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Verena Bitzer & Pieter Glasbergen & Bas Arts, 2013. "Exploring the potential of intersectoral partnerships to improve the position of farmers in global agrifood chains: findings from the coffee sector in Peru," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(1), pages 5-20, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:30:y:2013:i:1:p:5-20
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-012-9372-z
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    Cited by:

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    2. 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.
    3. Thorpe, Jodie, 2018. "Procedural Justice in Value Chains Through Public–private Partnerships," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 162-175.
    4. Janina Grabs, 2020. "Assessing the institutionalization of private sustainability governance in a changing coffee sector," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 14(2), pages 362-387, April.
    5. Lishi Mao & Junfeng Song & Siyuan Xu & Degui Yu, 2023. "Impact of Digital Platform Organization on Reducing Green Production Risk to Tackle COVID-19: Evidence from Farmers in Jiangsu China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, January.
    6. Nguyen Thi Nha Trang & Thanh-Thuy Nguyen & Hong V. Pham & Thi Thu Anh Cao & Thu Huong Trinh Thi & Javad Shahreki, 2022. "Impacts of Collaborative Partnership on the Performance of Cold Supply Chains of Agriculture and Foods: Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-28, May.
    7. Wijaya, Atika & Glasbergen, Pieter & Mawardi, Surip, 2017. "The mediated partnership model for sustainable coffee production: experiences from Indonesia," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 20(5).
    8. Hidayat, Kurniawati Nia & Glasbergen, Pieter & Offermans, Astrid, 2015. "Sustainability Certification and Palm Oil Smallholders’ Livelihood: A Comparison between Scheme Smallholders and Independent Smallholders in Indonesia," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 18(3), pages 1-24, September.
    9. Grabs, Janina & Kilian, Bernard & Hernandez, Daniel Calderon & Dietz, Thomas, 2016. "Understanding Coffee Certification Dynamics: A Spatial Analysis of Voluntary Sustainability Standard Proliferation," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 19(3), pages 1-26, August.
    10. Christine Pichler & Daniela Fürtner & Franziska Hesser & Peter Schwarzbauer & Lea Maria Ranacher, 2022. "The Role of the Social Licence to Operate in the Emerging Bioeconomy—A Case Study of Short-Rotation Coppice Poplar in Slovakia," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-19, September.
    11. Dietz, Thomas & Auffenberg, Jennie & Estrella Chong, Andrea & Grabs, Janina & Kilian, Bernard, 2018. "The Voluntary Coffee Standard Index (VOCSI). Developing a Composite Index to Assess and Compare the Strength of Mainstream Voluntary Sustainability Standards in the Global Coffee Industry," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 72-87.
    12. 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.
    13. Runhaar, Hens & Polman, Nico, 2018. "Partnering for nature conservation," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 11-19.
    14. Meier, Leonie, 2017. "Beating the Microbead: How private environmental governance has influenced the regulatory process of banning microbeads in the UK," MarXiv wpr8k, Center for Open Science.
    15. 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.
    16. Catherine Kilelu & Laurens Klerkx & Amos Omore & Isabelle Baltenweck & Cees Leeuwis & Julius Githinji, 2017. "Value Chain Upgrading and the Inclusion of Smallholders in Markets: Reflections on Contributions of Multi-Stakeholder Processes in Dairy Development in Tanzania," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 29(5), pages 1102-1121, November.

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