The values of value chains: Putting responsibility into action - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Chapitre D'ouvrage Année : 2017

The values of value chains: Putting responsibility into action

Résumé

Who is responsible for sustainable agri-food systems? In global discourse, the need to feed a growing population in a world of diminishing resources, is quickly becoming consolidated as a core societal challenge (Conway, 2012; FAO, 2012). But who is responsible for achieving this? Is this the mandate of producers, who are tilling the earth with machines of variable complexity and who are responsible for what toxins are entering the soil and water? Or are the companies who make the chemicals and machines responsible for the effects of their products on the environment? What about the processors who purchase the produce from the farms and turn these into products that can be consumed by people, animals and machines? What then is the responsibility of aggregators and distributors, who collect, pack and transport the produce and the products? Where is the responsibility of retailors and brands, which turn fresh and transformed products into consumables that are easily recognized by consumers? Finally, what role do consumers play when they decide to purchase something that has, through all of these steps, become a ‘sustainable’ product? Is sustainability only about the environmental aspects of production, or must we take into account all of these steps in order to evaluate the sustainability of the agri-food system? In other words, must we begin to speak in terms of ‘sustainable food value chains’ (FAO, 2014b) as an organizing mechanism for innovation in sustainable agri-food systems (FAO, 2014a). These questions frame the account that is found in this chapter, which is precisely about how responsibility is framed and performed in an innovative approach to food system organization. In this chapter I explore this concept of responsibility by focusing on innovations in value chains that are designed to link sustainable production practices with sustainability-conscious consumers in Bolivia. Specifically, I focus on an innovative approach to certification – a participatory guarantee system (PGS) – that redistributes responsibilities within short value chains and refocuses actors’ attention towards the value of food sovereignty.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
2017_Loconto_chapter_PGS_Randles-EE.pdf (637.71 Ko) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Accord explicite pour ce dépôt
Loading...

Dates et versions

hal-01765433 , version 1 (12-04-2018)

Licence

Copyright (Tous droits réservés)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-01765433 , version 1
  • PRODINRA : 370944

Citer

Allison Marie Loconto. The values of value chains: Putting responsibility into action. De-facto Responsible Innovation : Governance at Stake, Edward Edgar, 2017. ⟨hal-01765433⟩
72 Consultations
42 Téléchargements

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More