Year of publication 2014

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Pages 102

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Author Loconto, A.;Dankers, C.;Rural Infrastructure and Agro-Industries Division

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Product type Document

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ISBN 978-92-5-108233-1

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Series title Agribusiness and Food Industries Series

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Edition 1

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Synopsis (short abstract) Over the past twenty years, international voluntary standards have gained prominence in global trade. These standards are developed and used by both private and public actors to ensure quality, food safety, social protection and environmental conservation that go beyond mandatory regulation. Concerns have been consistently raised about the ability of international voluntary standards to increase the market access of small-scale producers and exporters in developing countries. This publication pr esents the results of a literature review conducted by FAO in 2012 on the impact of voluntary standards on smallholders’ ability to participate in markets. The results are based on an analysis of 101 studies containing 123 cases. Cumulatively, these cases presented evidence for 19 voluntary standards that were implemented in 14 commodity sectors and in 40 countries. Despite this broad scope, the authors find that the majority of the empirical evidence for impacts comes from studies of just three standards: GlobalGAP, Fairtrade and organic. Moreover, most studies focus on two commodities: coffee and horticulture products. While there is a decent range of geographic cover, the majority of studies focus on a handful of countries: Mexico, Kenya, Peru, Costa Rica and Uganda. This study adopts an impacts pathway model to organize and analyse the trends found in the empirical evidence. The results can be summarized as follows: first, equitable and sustainable supply chain linkages, increased access to assets, and support for cooperative development are incentives for complying with standards. Second, both public and private actors have comparative advantages for supporting voluntary standards and are most effective when combined. Finally, governments can provide services, for example infrastructure and proper legislation, which facilitate the inclusion of smallholders in certified value chains. The study concludes by making policy recommendations on how the public sector can mediate the effects of voluntary standards.

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Language English

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