Going beyond certificates: A systematic review of alternative trade arrangements in the global food sector

Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

Authors

This systematic review provides an overview of the various perspectives that investigate alternative trade arrangements in the global food sector. With child labor in cocoa production, health issues of plantation workers in the global south and unsustainable consumption patterns of consumers in the global north, trade arrangements in the global food sector remain on largely unsustainable pathways with vast consequences for a sustainable development. Alternative Trade arrangements have been proposed as one way to tackle the above-mentioned issues and have been increasingly investigated through the scientific literature. However, evidence about the impact of alternative trade arrangements on consumption in the global north or production in the global south is disputed. While there have been efforts to review the scientific literature, existing reviews have focused only on specific aspects (e.g. consumer perception or effectiveness of producer certification schemes). We therefore systematically reviewed 649 peer-reviewed publications that investigated food products and alternative trade arrangements to create a more comprehensive overview of the strand of literature, its epistemic similarities and differences. We found that the scientific literature is predominantly investigating the certified market, focusing on certification schemes and its implementations. Furthermore, we show that the literature is either focusing on producers or consumers and has a strong bias towards social aspects of sustainability. Using a quantitative word-based analysis, we identified three substantially different clusters: first, producer impact assessment, dominated by econometrics; second, contextual producer perspectives, emphasizing the political and social sphere through qualitative single case study analyses; and third consumers' attitudes and willingness to pay for ethical products, characterized by psychological and econometric measures. Based on our findings we propose three future directions for research in the field of alternative trade. First, scholars should put a stronger emphasis on going beyond the impact assessment of certification schemes and examine underlying aspects such as information asymmetries, smallholder empowerment and ethical consumption behavior. Second, interconnections between social and ecological factors needs further investigation as both factors have a strong influence on each other. Third, scholars should put a stronger focus on participatory approaches to gain a deeper understanding of root causes of unjust trade arrangements and enhance mutual understanding of scientific perceptions and realworld practices.

Original languageEnglish
Article number123208
JournalJournal of Cleaner Production
Volume276
Number of pages11
ISSN0959-6526
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10.12.2020

Recently viewed

Researchers

  1. Axel Piesker

Publications

  1. Education and Communication as Prerequisites for and Components of Sustainable Development. Reflections for Policies, Conceptual Work, and Theory, Based on Previous Practises
  2. Harmonization in the World Values Survey
  3. Documenting Artistic Networks
  4. Linking modes of research to their scientific and societal outcomes. Evidence from 81 sustainability-oriented research projects
  5. The Parameters of Refugeeism and Flight
  6. Digital Workplace Transformation Triggers a Shift in the HR Identity
  7. Engagement for genetic modification technologies in conservation: For whom, how, and for what ends?
  8. Priming effects induced by glucose and decaying plant residues on SOM decomposition: A three-source 13C/14C partitioning study
  9. Kurzprosa
  10. An Appealing Option?
  11. Editorial message
  12. Update wurde nicht ausgeführt
  13. Negative effects of forest gaps on dung removal in a full-factorial experiment
  14. The same, but different
  15. Are all politicians the same? Reproduction and change of chief executive career patterns in democratic regimes
  16. Accelerating the industrial transition with safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD)
  17. Das Bild im Monitor
  18. Article 28 Relationship with Existing International Conventions
  19. Die Vielfalt des Lebens gestalten.
  20. Heteroaggregation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles with model natural colloids under environmentally relevant conditions
  21. Specific SBR population behaviour as revealed by comparative dynamic simulation analysis of three full-scale municipal SBR wastewater treatment plants
  22. Einleitung
  23. Plant diversity enhances ecosystem multifunctionality via multitrophic diversity
  24. Geisteswissenschaften in der Offensive
  25. Meta-analyses on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  26. Normalisierung und Ausschluss
  27. Do exporters really pay higher wages?
  28. Dynamische Bestandsdimensionierung
  29. Resistance against cyber-surveillance within social movements and how surveillance adapts
  30. Kunstraum of Lüneburg University
  31. Effects of cooperative games on enjoyment in physical education - How to increase positive experiences in students?
  32. The role of empathy and empathic leadership practices in schools – a scoping review
  33. PRB technologies in Germany
  34. Wozu der Körper noch ‚Ja’ sagt, wenn der Geist ‚Nein’ sagt
  35. Der Kampf ums Recht