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Private standards, grower networks, and power in a food supply system

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  • Lyndal-Joy Thompson
  • Stewart Lockie

Abstract

The role of private food standards in agriculture is increasingly raising questions of legitimacy, particularly in light of the impacts such standards may have on food producers. While much work has been carried out at a macro policy level for developing countries, there have been relatively few empirical case studies that focus on particular food supply chains, and even fewer studies still of the impact of private standards on developed countries such as Australia. This study seeks to address this imbalance, with a particular focus on examining the impact of private standards on an Australian vegetable supply food system in North Tasmania as well as tracing the impact of perceived and actual power relations among actors. Applying a governance framework and adopting a Foucauldian position we show that private standards are a “technology of power” that have risen out of a crisis discourse in the mid-1990s about on-farm food safety. Private standards have the effect of using knowledge from particular actors to establish truths about good agricultural practice (GAP), however we show that Tasmanian vegetable growers are not docile bodies and are employing alternative knowledge and technologies of power to challenge how GAP is implemented on-farm. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

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  • Lyndal-Joy Thompson & Stewart Lockie, 2013. "Private standards, grower networks, and power in a food supply system," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(3), pages 379-388, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:30:y:2013:i:3:p:379-388
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-012-9404-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stewart Lockie, 1998. "Environmental and social risks, and the construction of “best-practice” in Australian agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 15(3), pages 243-252, September.
    2. Spencer Henson, 2011. "Private agrifood governance: conclusions, observations and provocations," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 28(3), pages 443-451, September.
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    5. Doris Fuchs & Agni Kalfagianni & Tetty Havinga, 2011. "Actors in private food governance: the legitimacy of retail standards and multistakeholder initiatives with civil society participation," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 28(3), pages 353-367, September.
    6. Doris Fuchs & Agni Kalfagianni & Jennifer Clapp & Lawrence Busch, 2011. "Introduction to symposium on private agrifood governance: values, shortcomings and strategies," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 28(3), pages 335-344, September.
    7. Henson, Spencer & Masakure, Oliver & Boselie, David, 2005. "Private food safety and quality standards for fresh produce exporters: The case of Hortico Agrisystems, Zimbabwe," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 371-384, August.
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    2. Jiping Ding & Paule Moustier & Xingdong Ma & Xuexi Huo & Xiangping Jia, 2019. "Doing but not knowing: how apple farmers comply with standards in China," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(1), pages 61-75, March.
    3. Patrick Baur & Christy Getz & Jennifer Sowerwine, 2017. "Contradictions, consequences and the human toll of food safety culture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(3), pages 713-728, September.
    4. Geovana Mercado & Carsten Nico Hjortsø & Benson Honig, 2018. "Decoupling from international food safety standards: how small-scale indigenous farmers cope with conflicting institutions to ensure market participation," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(3), pages 651-669, September.
    5. Julia M. L. Laforge & Colin R. Anderson & Stéphane M. McLachlan, 2017. "Governments, grassroots, and the struggle for local food systems: containing, coopting, contesting and collaborating," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(3), pages 663-681, September.
    6. Salvatore Squatrito & Elena Arena & Rosa Palmeri & Biagio Fallico, 2020. "Public and Private Standards in Crop Production: Their Role in Ensuring Safety and Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-16, January.
    7. Douglas H. Constance, 2023. "The doctors of agrifood studies," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 31-43, March.
    8. Großmann, Anne-Marie & von Gruben, Paul, 2014. "The Role of Company Standards in Supply Chains – The Case of the German Automotive Industry," Chapters from the Proceedings of the Hamburg International Conference of Logistics (HICL), in: Blecker, Thorsten & Kersten, Wolfgang & Ringle, Christian M. (ed.), Innovative Methods in Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Current Issues and Emerging Practices. Proceedings of the Hamburg International Conferenc, volume 19, pages 99-123, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Institute of Business Logistics and General Management.
    9. Mikkola, Minna, 2015. "Business Concept as a Relational Message: Supermarket vs Independent Grocery as Competitors for Sustainability," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 6(4), pages 1-11, November.

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