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The pandemic lays bare the centrality of social reproduction in upholding global commodity networks. Capitalism's reliance on gendered and racialized systems of social reproduction has deepened structural contradictions and socio‐economic divides across agro‐export sectors and agrarian communities. We analyse how COVID‐19 policies and responses in Ecuador and Chile are reshaping systems of social and labour protection in feminized agro‐export sectors. We integrate labour regime and gender regime frameworks, showing how they are (1) co‐constituted via global forces, national policies, institutional pressures and local practices; (2) intertwined in neoliberal and social‐democratic development models; and (3) forged through control, consent and resistance. We analyse national legal frameworks and policy responses to COVID‐19, as well as industry, union and worker reactions, illustrating how 'neutral' policies have gendered outcomes, (re)creating false binaries between production and reproduction and paid and unpaid work. We find that the pandemic has reshaped gendered labour regimes in agro‐exports: in Ecuador, undermining the fragile commitment to a social‐democratic gendered labour regime and in Chile, strengthening social‐democratic supports and promises of a more equitable gendered labour regime. In both cases, states and firms have neglected to include social reproduction in the 'costs' of development, thus threatening national development models grounded in the exploitation of cheap female labour in agro‐export sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the organization of the fair trade flower industry, integration of Ecuadorian enterprises into these networks, and power of certification to address key environmental and social concerns on participating estates. Pursuing a social regulatory approach, I locate fair trade within the field of new institutions that establish and enforce production criteria in international markets. My research finds that while firm owners and managers support fair trade's environmental and social goals, these commitments are delimited by mainstream market expectations related to production efficiency and product quality. In environmental arenas, certification helps ensure that conditions exceed legal mandates and industry norms. In social arenas, certification helps ensure that labor standards exceed legal and industry expectations and funds important programs benefiting workers and their families. Where unions are absent, fair trade's greatest impact may be in the establishment of workers' committees that can build collective capacity. Although these new labor organizations face numerous challenges, they may strengthen the social regulation of global flower networks, making firms accountable to their workers as well as to nongovernmental organizations, retailers, and consumers. (Contains 3 tables.)

This article analyzes the theoretical and empirical parameters of social regulation in contemporary global food markets, focusing on the rapidly expanding Fair Trade initiative. Fair Trade seeks to transform North/South relations by fostering ethical consumption, producer empowerment, and certified commodity sales. This initiative joins an array of labor and environmental standard and certification systems which are often conceptualized as "private regulations" since they depend on the voluntary participation of firms. I argue that these new institutional arrangements are better understood as "social regulations" since they operate beyond the traditional bounds of private and public (corporate and state) domains and are animated by individual and collective actors. In the case of Fair Trade, I illuminate how relational and civic values are embedded in economic practices and institutions and how new quality assessments are promoted as much by social movement groups and loosely aligned consumers and producers as they are by market forces. This initiative's recent commercial success has deepened price competition and buyer control and eroded its traditional peasant base, yet it has simultaneously created new openings for progressive politics. The study reveals the complex and contested nature of social regulation in the global food market as movement efforts move beyond critique to institution building. (Contains 5 tables.)

This article analyzes the booming world trade in organic agro-foods such as tropical products, counterseasonal fresh produce, and processed foods. Research focuses on expanding South-North networks linking major US and European markets with major production regions, particularly in Latin America. Employing a commodity network approach, I analyze organic production, distribution, and consumption patterns and the roles of social, political, and economic actors in consolidating international trade. Organic certification proves central to network governance, shaping product specifications, production parameters, and enterprise participation. My analysis identifies key contradictions between mainstream agro-industrial and alternative movement conventions in global organic networks. Key words--organic, globalization, trade, commodity chains, certification, regulation

This study analyzes the intersection of gender and production relations in small-scale contracting in nontraditional agriculture. The case of the processing tomato industry in the Dominican Republic exemplifies patterns found throughout the region. Building on a critique of unitary household models, I analyze the gendered relations mobilizing resources for contract farming. As appears common, contracting has heightened demand for women's farm labor. Contracting has simultaneously provided women with openings for contesting the appropriation of their unpaid labor and many women are claiming payment for work in contract farming. This case demonstrates the importance of gender issues in informing contract farming debates and policy interventions. Key words--contract farming, nontraditional agriculture, gender, households, Dominican Republic, Latin America

Our research on the 'new' internationalization of agriculture builds on analyses of the internationalization of capital and the New International Division of Labor, but reformulates 'internationalization' as a contingent, political and economic process. We argue that shifts in the institutional structure of capitalism in the 1980s profoundly altered national policy options and agro-food markets. States, such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, have been compelled to promote agricultural exports, typically at the expense of national food security. While southern states pursue a common goal of international competitiveness, this involves a varied process of domestic restructuring and differentiates states within the world economy.

Motivation: Certification programmes shape global coffee production conditions. Fairtrade International oversees the major ethical coffee certification for small farmers. Since Fair Trade USA left the global system to certify coffee plantations in 2011 and now has its own standards, programme‐specific research is needed to understand the implications of certification for workers. Purpose: We provide the first academic analysis of Fair Trade USA's coffee plantation certification to identify its key programmatic features and ramifications for workers, particularly how certification has affected workplace and employment conditions, workers' wellbeing and labour rights. Approach and methods: We analyse programme documents to explain Fair Trade USA's standards and how they diverge from those of Fairtrade International. To demonstrate the impacts of Fair Trade USA certification, we draw on qualitative research on one of the first certified coffee plantations in Nicaragua, including interviews with managers and interviews and focus group discussions with workers. Findings: Fair Trade USA has maintained key elements of Fairtrade International certification, but its labour rights standards are significantly weaker. In the Nicaraguan case, Fair Trade USA certification has fostered major improvements in workplace and employment conditions and some improvements in workers' wellbeing through the Premium programme. Certification has not significantly advanced labour rights. Policy implications: National conditions shape certification's implications for workers, creating a central paradox. Fair Trade USA certification is likely to bring the greatest gains for workers where conditions are worst, where bringing plantations into legal compliance is a victory. The programme cannot pull workers out of poverty or guarantee decent work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banana Cultures: Agriculture, Consumption, and Environmental Change in Honduras and the United States. By John Soluri. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2005. This book traces the social and agroecological history [...]

This article discusses the potential for humanizing production and trade relations by extending action research to multilateral commodity networks. Participatory action research and Fairtrade certification both promote social justice, but the first faces difficulties in terms of scalability, while the second experiences challenges in terms of producer support. As conventional research has failed to deliver methods for improving services, we worked with small-scale farmers in South Africa’s rooibos tea industry to meet this gap. Responding to producer concerns regarding market and certification access, we conducted a participatory research, training, and networking program to establish a farmer leadership network within the rooibos industry. Despite the challenges involved in advancing participation in an arena marked by complex power relations, our work helped stakeholders establish trust, improve knowledge, and begin addressing issues. By incorporating commodity network analysis into action research methodology, our model facilitates both community and organizational development, offering a multilateral framework for collaborative inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviewed by: Laura T. Raynolds, Colorado State University Over the past fifteen years, women in Latin America have struggled to counter the negative repercussions of economic crisis and retrenchment of [...]