This proposal draws on the rise of quality requirements and private standards in developing countries. The literature shows that the impacts of standards are ambiguous. On the one hand, standards are supposed to increase the competitiveness of exporting countries by reducing transaction costs...

High-value export-oriented agriculture is today considered as a means of integrating smallholders into the world economy. This paper examines the geographic and organisational changes that have taken place in the fresh pineapple sector over the past 50 years. We begin with a historical...

The private standard GlobalGap was introduced into Madagascar’s lychee value chain in the mid-2000s in response to the demand for certified lychees. Following the initial craze, however, the number of certified farmers soon dropped as the financial support to the exporters dried up. Based on a...

It has only been a few years since the private standard GlobalGap has been introduced in the Malagasy lychee value chain. Since the year 2005, under pressure from some European importers, many exporters have chosen to intensify relations with small-scale farmers and have assisted them in...

Promoters of urban and peri-urban agriculture generally stress its positive role in terms of food security, income, employment and improvement of the urban environment. Unfortunately, competition with agricultural and non-agricultural uses of peri-urban farm land often translates into intensive...