RT Journal Article
T1 To what extent do brands contribute to sustainability transition in agricultural production practices?: lessons from three European case studies
A1 Swagemakers, Paul
A1 Domínguez García, María Dolores
A1 Schermer, Markus
A1 Milone, Pierluigi
A1 Ventura, Flaminia
AB Brands hold a promising contribution to align the food system with sustainable farm development. The food system consists of a myriad of, generally small-scale, producers and consumers and retail chains provide the link between the two. As such, their brands determine to a large extend what is understood by sustainability. This article focuses on brands’ sustainability definitions and their requirements from a producer’s perspective. Theoretical exploration of interlinkages between the heterogeneity in farming practices, transition processes in the food system, and brands’ general isomorphic character provide a lens for an empirical analysis of their contribution to change farm production towards more sustainability practices. Case studies from three European regions illuminate how institutional settings determine whether family farms and rural livelihoods benefit from the brands’ sustainability claims or are restricted and endangered by the new rules and regulations imposed upon them. This way, the paper provides theoretical understanding how brand development provides the institutional conditions for farmers to reconcile economic goals with sustainability claims, but obstructs a more profound transition to agroecological practices. This asks for political intervention to create the conditions and means for capacity building at community level that will allow for a more far-reaching transition to sustainability.
PB Elsevier
SN 0921-8009
YR 2021
FD 2021-08-05
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/103402
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/103402
LA eng
NO Paul Swagemakers, Markus Schermer, María Dolores Domínguez García, Pierluigi Milone, Flaminia Ventura, To what extent do brands contribute to sustainability transition in agricultural production practices? Lessons from three European case studies, Ecological Economics, Volume 189, 2021, 107179, ISSN 0921-8009, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107179.
DS Docta Complutense
RD 14 dic 2025