Anne Tallontire

A gendered value chain approach to codes of conduct in African horticulture.

Codes of conduct covering the employment conditions of Southern producers exporting to European markets mushroomed throughout the 1990s, especially in the horticulture sector linking UK and European supermarkets with export firms in Africa. The majority of employment in this sector is “informal,” a significant proportion of which is female. This paper explores the gender sensitivity of codes currently applied in the African export horticulture sector from an analytical perspective that combines global value chain and gendered economy approaches. Through an analysis of these two approaches, it develops a “gender pyramid,” which provides a framework for mapping and assessing the gender content of codes of conduct. The pyramid is applied to codes that cover employment conditions in three commodity groups and countries exporting to European markets: South African fruit, Kenyan flowers and Zambian vegetables and flowers. It concludes that the gender sensitivity of codes needs to be greatly enhanced if they are to adequately address employment conditions relevant to informal and especially women workers.

Reaching the Marginalised? Gender, Value Chains and Ethical Trade in African Horticulture

These success stories describe how two programs helped families to strengthen their health agricultural livelihoods and food security in Malawi. The programs helped households to grow more food guided farmers toward profitable business practices helped people to form savings groups taught families and young mothers about health and nutrition and increased access to HIV services and social welfare systems.Ethical trade, through codes of practice, forms an important part of the value chains for horticultural products sourced from Africa by major European buyers. This paper explores the relationship between value chains in the horticultural sector, the employment patterns of African producers, and the process of code implementation from a gender perspective. It asks whether, in the context of the gendered economy, codes alone can improve working conditions for all workers. Using case studies of Kenyan flowers, South African fruit, and Zambian flowers and vegetables, the article highlights the implications of flexible employment strategies for workers, and shows that social codes have not necessarily achieved better outcomes for women and informal workers, owing to the gendered economy. Ultimately, it is only by addressing the local gendered economy that the employment conditions of all workers, including those of marginal workers and women, are likely to improve.

csr and regulation: towards a framework for understanding private standards initiatives in the agri-food chain

Abstract Private standards initiatives (psis) abound in agri-food chains as retailers and brands seek to minimise risks and also respond to new demands from civil society. They represent a new form of regulation, which raises questions regarding governance in the South. Recognising the policy-driven nature of much work to date in this area, I set out a preliminary framework for critical analysis of psis in agri-food chains, focusing on both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of governance. The proposed conceptual framework draws on an extended form of value chain analysis combined with insights on facets of governance from international relations and political science in order to capture the structural, institutional and normative governance implications of psis.

Will the WTO prevent the growth of ethical trade? Implications of potential changes to WTO rules for environmental and social standards in the forest sector.

Whilst its promoters believe that there are numerous benefits to be gained by many producers from ethical trade, some stakeholders in the South see ethical trade schemes as protectionist. This paper examines the World Trade Organization rules that relate to the environmental and social standards promoted by ethical trade schemes in the forest sector, focusing on debates around eco-labels and the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement. The implications for current ethical trading schemes are considered with reference to initiatives in the forest sector including forest certification and ethical markets for non-timber forest products. Copyright

Fair trade narratives and political dynamics

Purpose – The recent departure of Fair Trade USA (FTUSA) from Fairtrade International is the most seismic event in the fair trade movement in the past decade. This paper aims to analyse recent dynamics between and within multiple fair trade strands and the attendant changes in vision and approach.Design/methodology/approach – The authors use and develop a framework focusing on the relationship between business and development to analyse the dominant narratives and practices of each different strand of fair trade. To unpack the various fair trade narratives, they have conducted a narrative analysis of policy documents and online debates in the wake of the split in the fair trade movement and they draw on recent impact studies.Findings – The politicising narrative in fair trade stresses governance and voice based on clear structures of representation within the standards body, and recognizes the value of development inputs that do not focus solely on technical and quality development, but lead to organisati...

Enhancing Fairtrade for women workers on plantations: insights from Kenyan agriculture

The growth in the market for Fairtrade certified agricultural exports from Africa has been rapid, promising empowerment for workers and communities through the Fairtrade Premium. Increasingly the Joint Bodies that administer the premium and the kinds of projects funded have been the subject of mounting criticism. Drawing from two empirical studies on Kenyan flowers and tea that explored pathways to empowerment for women workers on plantations, this paper compares and contrasts the practices of two standards mechanisms operating on the farms: the Joint Body (JB) and the Gender Committee (GC). This analysis finds that the GCs were more empowering for women workers than the JBs and draws out examples of good practice from the former that could help to improve practice in Fairtrade in plantation agriculture. The paper argues that appropriate training for members and non-members of committees alike, organizational and spatial structures, the nature of representation, and mechanisms for strengthening voice are of great importance in ensuring empowering outcomes for workers.

Autonomous adaptation to riverine flooding in Satkhira District, Bangladesh: implications for adaptation planning

Systematic understanding of adaptation measures utilised by households in developing countries is needed to identify the constraints they face, and the external interventions or adaptation planning needed to overcome them. Understanding of autonomous household adaptation patterns remains underdeveloped. In particular, little is known regarding whether households are implementing incremental or transformational adaptation measures as well as the implications of this for adaptation planning. We demonstrate the suitability of the risk hazard approach for understanding autonomous household adaptation patterns and discuss the implications for planned adaptation. To achieve this, we use an in-depth village case study from an area of Bangladesh particularly vulnerable to climate change, using qualitative semi-structured household interviews as primary material. We find that the risk hazard approach is ideal for exploring autonomous adaptations because of its capacity for understanding how households respond to livelihood risk, and what resources are required for it to be most effective. However, the risk hazard approach overlooks equity and fairness considerations need to be integrated due to the insufficient emphasis on these concerns.

Microfinance and climate change adaptation: an overview of the current literature

There is growing interest in the role microfinance could play in facilitating adaptation to climate change. This article reviews the literature linking microfinance and climate change adaptation, which falls into two key areas. The first area focuses on the potential for microfinance to facilitate household adaptation, which has been only partially successful in linking microfinance and adaptation because of weak conceptualization of adaptation and terminological shortcomings. The second area examines the vulnerability of microfinance institutions to climate change, highlighting that they are directly vulnerable to climate change themselves and are indirectly vulnerable through their beneficiaries. The realization of climate-resilient microfinance requires both climate proofing internal operations to reduce direct vulnerability, and promoting climate resilience among beneficiaries. This may have already happened serendipitously to an extent, but there is scope for further action. We conclude that more evidence is needed to substantiate the links and thus progress the literature, particularly studies employing an adaptation lens.