Ethical agro‐food networks in global peripheries, Part II: Re‐placing commodity dependence

Abstract

This is the second of a two‐part series of review articles on ethical agro‐food networks (AFNs) in global peripheries, with a focus on Latin America. This article focuses on origin or locality‐based strategies, including geographical indications (GIs) as well as alternative approaches to valorising place–product connections. It compares the impacts of origin‐based networks to fair trade and organics and identifies possibilities for alternative or hybrid conceptualisations of these networks. It concludes by suggesting some directions for future research on ethical AFNs in the Global South. These include more study of local agro‐food networks in the South, more explicit attention to the role of the State, and analysis of the discursive as well as material construction of ethical AFNs in global peripheries.

Bastard Spice or Champagne of Cinnamon? Conflicting Value Creations along Cinnamon Commodity Chains in Northern Vietnam

“…This is perhaps an overly cynical review of NGO projects in the province, since the farmers we interviewed did appreciate other features these organizations had introduced, such as cassia‐drying ovens. Moreover, as the examples of Mr Anh and Mr Cuòng show, cultivators of cassia are not merely ‘passive subjects of discourses’, but also ‘adopt and adapt these discourses … by laying claim to greater decrees of authenticity or higher ecological standards’ (Bidwell et al., 2018b: 7). Still, to date, it seems that a GI for marketing Yên Bái cassia has not been as successful as appeals to images of historicized and ethicized places and producers have been.…”

The rise of ethical value in global trade networks

“…EVeNs are both a tool of analysis and an aspiration. They have the potential to identify some of the more unjust and non-sustainable aspects of global agri-food networks as the value added is traced through the nodes, flows and relations that comprise the global economy (Bidwell et al, 2018a(Bidwell et al, , 2018b.…”

Padrón peppers or peppers from Herbón? Discussing the controversial attainment of a geographical indication in light of food (re)localisation approaches

“…Meanwhile, Francophone literature on the matter presents a long, and particular, tradition studying local food systems. Both sets of work have been developed separately, making it pertinent to consider them together, albeit with some linguistic nuances (Bidwell et al., 2018; Bowen & Muterbaugh, 2014; Lamine et al., 2018; Mancini, 2013). We will employ ‘(re)localisation’ to refer to the common idea of place‐based food initiatives (consistent with Baritaux et al., 2016).…”