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Organic labeling controversies: a means to an end within global value chains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 September 2018

Pablo Alonso González Open the ORCID record for Pablo Alonso González [Opens in a new window]  and
Eva Parga-Dans Open the ORCID record for Eva Parga-Dans [Opens in a new window]
Pablo Alonso González*
Affiliation:
IPNA, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Avenida del Astrofísico, 3, La Laguna38206, Spain Incipit, CSIC, Avenida de Vigo s/n, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia 15705, Spain
Eva Parga-Dans
Affiliation:
Group of Territorial Studies (GET), Sociology Faculty, University of A Coruña, Campus de Elviña 15071, A Coruña, Spain
*
Author for correspondence: Pablo Alonso González, E-mail: pabloag10@hotmail.com
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Abstract

This commentary argues for strengthening the dialogue between the social and natural sciences as part of a more comprehensive sustainable approach to ecological farming practices that go beyond a focus on specific labels and certifications. It nuances the approach provided by Home et al. in their study of Swiss farms converting to organic agriculture, in emphasizing the need to deepen the study of such farming practices by including a broad vision of global value chains and a pragmatic approach to innovation and the different stakeholders involved. Ultimately, it calls for a more complex approach to eco-agriculture in its widest sense, that goes beyond dichotomies about conversion, certification and labeling. This would provide alternatives for researchers and other actors to move forward in theory and practice.

Keywords

Certificationslabelsorganic agriculturepragmatismvalue chain
Type
Commentary
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 35 , Issue 2 , April 2020 , pp. 109 - 114
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018

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