The Governance of Emerging Value Chains and their Impacts on Traditional Communities

In her research, Eliane Superti explores the effects of different forms of participation in the açaí value chain for traditional communities (Quilombolas) in Amapá/Brazil. These effects vary from work relationships to the understanding of their sense of territory. Moving forward, she will continue her fieldwork with two indigenous communities in the North of Brazil. 

In this seminar, Ms. Superti gave a brief review of their developments, and as part of the research in progress, she will be continuing this work with a case study as part of the ISS/EUR GOLLS project (and within a larger application to the Transatlantic Platform) with these two indigenous communities, one supplying to a fair trade buyer/producer and the other who is not. With the initial vision that the first community has more formalised and improved conditions.

In addition, Ms. Superti also shared to ISS audience the frequent questions coming from these two communities - where is the point at which we might call this social upgrading? What else might be needed for social upgrading? And, more broadly, is there a point at which the inclusion of indigenous communities in GVC processes is inconsistent with market demands (e.g. for upscaling and standardisation)?