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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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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.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) for co-funding this research in the context of its program, Social Scientific Research into Nature and the Environment (GaMON). We would also like to thank the Peruvian Coffee Chamber (Cámara Peruana del Café y Cacao), based in Lima, for their invaluable assistance and infrastructural support during the time of field research. Finally, we acknowledge the much appreciated inputs from the many interviewees coming from producer organizations, export industry, development agencies, NGOs, ministries and other state institutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Management Studies Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8130, 6700 EW, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Verena Bitzer

  2. Department of Innovation and Environmental Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80115, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Pieter Glasbergen

  3. Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Bas Arts

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  1. Verena Bitzer
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Correspondence to Verena Bitzer.

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Bitzer, V., Glasbergen, P. & Arts, B. Exploring the potential of intersectoral partnerships to improve the position of farmers in global agrifood chains: findings from the coffee sector in Peru. Agric Hum Values 30, 5–20 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-012-9372-z

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