Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T00:20:27.709Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Community transformation through certified organic cotton initiatives—an analysis of case studies in Peru, Tanzania and India

Part of: RAF Social Disadvantage Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2020

Christine Altenbuchner Open the ORCID record for Christine Altenbuchner [Opens in a new window] ,
Stefan Vogel  and
Manuela Larcher
Christine Altenbuchner*
Affiliation:
Christine Altenbuchner, Researcher, Institute of Sustainable Economic Development, University of Natural Resources and Life Science (BOKU), Feistmantelstraße 4, 1180Vienna, Austria
Stefan Vogel
Affiliation:
Stefan Vogel, Researcher (Professor), Institute of Sustainable Economic Development, University of Natural Resources and Life Science (BOKU), Feistmantelstraße 4, 1180Vienna, Austria
Manuela Larcher
Affiliation:
Manuela Larcher, Researcher, Institute of Sustainable Economic Development, University of Natural Resources and Life Science (BOKU), Feistmantelstraße 4, 1180, Vienna, Austria
*
Author for correspondence: Christine Altenbuchner, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper examines how certified organic cotton initiatives (COCIs) influence community capitals in rural Peru, Tanzania and India using the community capitals framework (CCF). Case study analyses, including qualitative interviews of farmers, expert interviews and participatory observations, were conducted in Northern Peru, Northern Tanzania and Eastern India. The results show slight changes in community capitals in Peru, while comprehensive changes and spiraling-up effects were triggered by certified organic cotton farming initiatives in Tanzania and India. These community developments strongly depended on set measures, such as the extent of (1) partnership (e.g., contract farming), (2) input support (e.g., seeds, loans, community infrastructure), (3) capacity building (through training and advisory services), (4) group formation and (5) formation of cooperatives. Favorable environmental conditions and supporting local institutions facilitated spiraling-up effects, while social preconditions (e.g., gender inequality) strongly limited these effects. The research showed that COCIs have considerable potential to trigger spiraling-up effects in rural communities. However, the capacity strongly depends on the respective initiative and its ability to involve and empower farmers, i.e., to build up human and social capital.

Keywords

Community capitals frameworkimprovement of livelihoodIndiaorganic cotton productionPerusmallholder farmerssustainable developmentTanzania
Type
Research Paper
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , February 2021 , pp. 38 - 53
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adger, WN (2010) Social capital, collective action, and adaptation to climate change. In Voss, M (ed.), Der Klimawandel. Wiesbaden, Germany: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften Springer, pp. 327–345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aigner, SM, Flora, CB and Hernandez, JM (2001) The premise and promise of citizenship and civil society for renewing democracies and empowering sustainable communities. Sociological Inquiry 71, 493–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Altenbuchner, C, Larcher, M and Vogel, S (2014) The impact of organic cotton cultivation on the livelihood of smallholder farmers in Meatu district, Tanzania. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 31, 22–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Altenbuchner, C, Vogel, S and Larcher, M (2017) Effects of organic farming on the empowerment of women: a case study on the perception of female farmers in Odisha, India. Womens Studies International Forum 64, 28–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Altieri, MA, Funes-Monzote, FR and Petersen, P (2012) Agroecologically efficient agricultural systems for smallholder farmers: contributions to food sovereignty. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 32, 1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Altieri, MA, Nicholls, CI, Henao, A and Lana, MA (2015) Agroecology and the design of climate change-resilient farming systems. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 35, 869–890.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atteslander, P (2003) Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung, 10th Edn. Berlin, Germany: Walther de Gruyter Studienbuch.Google Scholar
Bachmann, F (2012) Potential and limitations of organic and fair trade cotton for improving livelihoods of smallholders: evidence from Central Asia. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 27, 138–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baffes, J (2002) Tanzania's Cotton Sector: Constraints and Challenges in a Global Environment. Africa Region Working Paper Series No. 42. Worldbank, Washington D.C.Google Scholar
Berchoux, T and Hutton, CW (2019) Spatial associations between household and community livelihood capitals in rural territories: an example from the Mahanadi Delta, India. Applied Geography 103, 98–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernard, HR (2002) Research Methods in Anthropology—Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Oxford, UK: AltaMira Press.Google Scholar
Birthal, PS (2008) Making Contract Farming Work in Smallholder Agriculture. New Delhi, India: National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research.Google Scholar
Bosworth, G and Turner, R (2018) Interrogating the meaning of a rural business through a rural capitals framework. Journal of Rural Studies 60, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourdieu, P (1983) Ökonomisches kapital, kulturelles kapital, soziales kapital. In Kreckel, R (ed.), Soziale Ungleichheiten. Soziale Welt Sonderband 2. Göttingen, Germany: Schwartz, pp. 183–198.Google Scholar
Brondizio, ES, Ostrom, E and Young, OR (2009) Connectivity and the governance of multilevel social-ecological systems: the role of social capital. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 34, 253–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coleman, JS (1988) Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology 94, 95–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Darnhofer, I (2006) Understanding Family Farmers' Decisions—Towards a Socio-Economic Approach. Vienna, Austria: Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Economics. University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences.Google Scholar
De Haan, LJ (2012) The livelihood approach: a critical exploration. Erdkunde 66, 345–357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Janvry, A and Sadoulet, E (2007) Toward a territorial approach to rural development. Electronic Journal of Agricultural and Development Economics 4, 66–98.Google Scholar
Directorate of Agriculture and Food Production Odisha (2013) Position Paper for State Level Cotton Development Meeting on 28.11.2013 at Rajiv Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, Directorate of Agriculture and Food Production, Government of Odisha, Odisha, India.Google Scholar
Donohue, C and Biggs, E (2015) Monitoring socio-environmental change for sustainable development: developing a multidimensional livelihoods index (MLI). Applied Geography 62, 391–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dudley, JR (2005) Research Methods for Social Work: Becoming Consumers and Producers of Research. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.Google Scholar
Emery, M and Flora, C (2006) Spiraling-up: mapping community transformation with community capitals framework. Community Development 37, 19–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emery, M, Fey, S and Flora, C (2006) Using community capitals to develop assets for positive community change. CD Practice 13, 1–19.Google Scholar
Eyhorn, F (2007) Organic farming for sustainable livelihoods in developing countries?: the case of cotton in India, vdf Hochschulverlag AG.Google Scholar
Eyhorn, F, Mäder, P and Ramakrishnan, M (2005) The Impact of Organic Cotton Farming on the Livelihoods of Smallholders—Evidence from the Maikaal bioRe project in central India. Frick, FiBL.Google Scholar
Eyhorn, F, Ramakrishnan, M and Mader, P (2007) The viability of cotton-based organic farming systems in India. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 5, 25–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FAO (2017a) The Future of Food and Agriculture—Trends and Challenges. Rome: FAO.Google Scholar
FAO (2017b) Ending Poverty and Hunger by Investing in Agriculture and Rural Areas, Rome: FAO.Google Scholar
Farnworth, CR and Hutchings, J (2009) Organic Agriculture and Womens' Empowerment. Bonn, Germany: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).Google Scholar
Fey, S, Bregendahl, C and Flora, C (2006) The measurement of community capitals through research. Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy 1, 1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flick, U (2009) An Introduction to Qualitative Research, 4th Edn. London, UK: SAGE Publications.Google Scholar
Fuchs, D and Glaab, K (2011) Material power and normative conflict in global and local agrifood governance: the lessons of ‘Golden Rice’ in India. Food Policy 36, 729–735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giné, X (2011) Access to capital in rural Thailand: an estimated model of formal vs. Informal credit. Journal of Development Economics 96, 16–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gläser, J and Laudel, G (2009) Experteninterviews und Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse: Als Instrumente Rekonstruierender Untersuchungen, 3th Edn. Wiesbaden, Germany: VS Verlag Für Sozialwissenschaften.Google Scholar
Gutiérrez-Montes, IA (2005) Healthy Communities Equal Healthy Ecosystems? Evolution (and Breakdown) of a Participatory Ecological Research Project towards a Community Natural Resource Management Process, San Miguel Chimalapa (Mexico) (Dissertation). Iowa State University.Google Scholar
Gutierrez-Montes, I, Emery, M and Fernandez-Baca, E (2009) The sustainable livelihoods approach and the community capitals framework: the importance of system-level approaches to community change efforts. Community Development 40, 106–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
IFOAM (2007) Organic Agriculture and Gender Equality. Bonn, Germany: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements—IFOAM.Google Scholar
IFOAM (2014) Principles of Organic Agriculture. Bonn, Germany: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements—IFOAM. Available at http://www.ifoam.org/en/organic-landmarks/principles-organic-agriculture (Accessed 7 March 2017).Google Scholar
Jabbar, MA, Ehui, SK and Von Kaufmann, R (2002) Supply and demand for livestock credit in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons for designing new credit schemes. World Development 30, 1029–1042.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Key, N and Runsten, D (1999) Contract farming, smallholders, and rural development in Latin America: the organization of agroprocessing firms and the scale of outgrower production. World Development 27, 381–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khandker, SR and Faruqee, RR (2003) The impact of farm credit in Pakistan. Agricultural Economics 28, 197–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuckartz, U (2007) Einführung in die Computergestützte Analyse Qualitativer Daten, 2nd Edn. Wiesbaden, Germany: VS Verlag Für Sozialwissenschaften.Google Scholar
Lamnek, S (2005) Qualitative Sozialforschung: Lehrbuch. Weinheim, Germany: Beltz PVU.Google Scholar
Makita, R (2012) Fair Trade and organic initiatives confronted with Bt cotton in Andhra Pradesh, India: a paradox. Geoforum; Journal of Physical, Human, and Regional Geosciences 43, 1232–1241.Google Scholar
Megyesi, B, Kelemen, E, Schermer, M, Renting, H and Oostindie, H (2010) Social capital as a success factor for collective farmers marketing initiatives. International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food 18, 89–103.Google Scholar
Méndez, VE, Bacon, CM, Olson, M, Petchers, S, Herrador, D, Carranza, C, Trujillo, L, Guadarrama-Zugasti, C, Cordón, A and Mendoza, A (2010) Effects of Fair Trade and organic certifications on small-scale coffee farmer households in Central America and Mexico. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 25, 236–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mwangulumba, EI and Kalidushi, B (2012) Tanzania Cotton Production and Productivity. SEACF Converence. Tanzania Cotton Board. Nyeri, Kenya.Google Scholar
Nogueira, A, Ashton, WS and Teixeira, C (2019) Expanding perceptions of the circular economy through design: eight capitals as innovation lenses. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 149, 566–576.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
NSSO (2014) Key Indicators of Debt and Investment in India—NSS 70th Round 2013. National Sample Survey Office, Government of India, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, New Delhi, India.Google Scholar
Ostrom, E (2000) Social capital: a fad or a fundamental concept. Social Capital: A Multifaceted Perspective 172, 195–198.Google Scholar
Panneerselvam, P, Halberg, N, Vaarst, M and Hermansen, JE (2012) Indian Farmers' experience with and perceptions of organic farming. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 27, 157–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pigg, K, Gasteyer, SP, Martin, KE, Keating, K and Apaliyah, GP (2013) The community capitals framework: an empirical examination of internal relationships. Community Development 44, 492–502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pretty, J (2003) Social capital and the collective management of resources. Science 302, 1912–1914.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pritchard, B and Connell, J (2011) Contract farming and the remaking of agrarian landscapes: insights from South India's chilli belt. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 32, 236–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quinn, PM (2002) Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.Google Scholar
Schjellerup, I (1999) Way ko-Lamas: a Quechua community in the Selva Alta of North Peru under change. Geografisk Tidsskrift 1, 199–207.Google Scholar
Schultz, TW (1961) Investment in human capital. The American Economic Review 51, 1–17.Google Scholar
Scialabba, NE-H (2007) Organic Agriculture and Food Security. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).Google Scholar
Shui, S (2006) Cotton International Commodity Profile, Background Paper for the Competitive Commercial Agriculture in Sub–Saharan Africa (CCAA) Study. Rome, Italy: Trade and Markets Division—Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).Google Scholar
Silverman, D (2006) Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction, 2nd Edn. London, UK: Sage.Google Scholar
Singh, S (2002) Contracting out solutions: political economy of contract farming in the Indian Punjab. World Development 30, 1621–1638.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singh, S (2005) Contract farming for agricultural development and diversification in Punjab: problems and prospects. Journal of Punjab Studies 12, 251–269.Google Scholar
Ssebunya, BR, Schader, C, Baumgart, L, Landert, J, Altenbuchner, C, Schmid, E and Stolze, M (2019) Sustainability performance of certified and non-certified smallholder coffee farms in Uganda. Ecological Economics 156, 35–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stofferahn, CW (2012) Community capitals and disaster recovery: northwood ND recovers from an EF 4 tornado. Community Development 43, 581–598.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stone, MT and Nyaupane, GP (2018) Protected areas, wildlife-based community tourism and community livelihoods dynamics: spiraling up and down of community capitals. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 26, 307–324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Svendsen, GLH and Sørensen, JFL (2007) There's more to the picture than meets the eye: measuring tangible and intangible capital in two marginal communities in rural Denmark. Journal of Rural Studies 23, 453–471.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Textile Exchange (2018) Organic Cotton Market Report 2018. Textile Exchange, London, UK.Google Scholar
Tongco, MDC (2007) Purposive sampling as a tool for informant selection. Ethnobotany Research & Applications 5, 147–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Upadhyay, N (2013) Annual Report on Cotton. Program under Mini Mission II—Technology Mission on Cotton during 2012-13. Bhawanipatna, Subject Matter Specialist—SMS Cotton, Odisha, India.Google Scholar
USDA (2016) Cotton: World Markets and Trade. Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture.Google Scholar
Vignola, R, Harvey, CA, Bautista-Solis, P, Avelino, J, Rapidel, B, Donatti, C and Martinez, R (2015) Ecosystem-based adaptation for smallholder farmers: definitions, opportunities and constraints. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 211, 126–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, HH, Wang, Y and Delgado, MS (2014) The transition to modern agriculture: contract farming in developing economies. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 96, 1257–1271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willer, H, Yussefi-Menzler, M and Sorensen, N (2008) The World of Organic Agriculture—Statistics and Emerging Trends 2008. IFOAM, Bonn, Germany & FiBL, Frick, Switzerland.Google Scholar
Woolcock, M and Narayan, D (2000) Social capital: implications for development theory, research, and policy. The World Bank Research Observer 15, 225–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, C-C and Tsai, H-M (2014) A capital-based framework for assessing coastal and marine social-ecological dynamics and natural resource management: a case study of Penghu archipelago. Journal of Marine and Island Cultures 3, 60–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar