Pathways of power in African agri-food chains

Grant ref: RES-167-25-0195May 2007-April 2010

University of Nairobi

Presentation by Valerie Nelson. Based on research by V.Nelson, UoG; Anne Tallontire, SRI, University of Leeds (PL), Maggie Opondo, University of Nairobi & Adrienne Martin, NRI (University of Greenwich).

1. Introducing private standards

2. Power dynamics and pathways in certified value chains

3. Case study of a Kenyan PSI

4. Conclusions

Private standards initiatives (PSIs)

• Organisations/networks/individuals who develop, monitor and promote new standards (on labour rights/ good agricultural practice) in global value chains…response to weak goverment enforcement

• Driven from & based in North, PSIs then set up in the south

• Early enthusiasm

• But also concerns

Case Study: Labour issues in Kenyan horticulture & floriculture

global value chains

– Global value chains 80s and 90s, bringing cut flowers and vegetables grown in Kenya to be sold in the UK

– Plethora of private standards in recent years to tackle perceived social and environmental problems

– Related initiatives in Europe at international scale on labour rights and good agricultural practice

– Our research on PSIs at different levels (food safety and labour)

– Methods (FGDs at local level, series of stakeholder workshops, key informant interviews)

– A new space – HEBI (Multi-S, southern location)

KenyaGAP

KenyaGAP

GRASP

Power dynamics & pathways in a system

• Identify core power players or factions in & outside of a powersphere’*

• Analyse new spaces for participation** that emerge or are created in the ‘powersphere’

• *** claimed, invited, or closed; scale; place/location

• ‘Who is included and who is excluded? • Who shapes the narratives and who controls

material resources?– Sources: **Manuel-Navarrete, Pelling and Redclift et al, 2009;

** Cornwall, 2002:2-3; *** Gaventa, 2008

CORE POWER PLAYERS IN POWERSPHERE

Kenya Gov.

National & Intl NGOs

National & Intl Trade unions

Workers

Value Chain Governance & labour issues Phase 1

Limited enforcement of labour standards (early 1990s)

Kenya Suppliers & trade associations

UK Retailers

Consumers

KFCFpeak

CORE POWER PLAYERS IN POWERSPHERE

Kenya Gov.

National & Intl NGOs

National & Intl Trade unions

Workers

Phase 2: Pressure begins on labour issues (mid-1990s).

IntLmedia

ETI

RetailersKenya Suppliers

& trade associations

KFCFpeak

Donors

Consumers fair trade

CORE POWER PLAYERS IN POWERSPHERE

Gov. of Kenya

Advocacy oriented INTL and National NGOs

National TU

Workers

Phase 3

Window of opportunity in early 2000s as new space opens up with joint Intl and national NGO campaign, plus donor & ETI rolesIntl media

RetailersSuppliers

FpeakKFC

ETI

?

Donors

Commercial auditors

Consumers

fair trade

CORE POWER PLAYERS IN POWERSPHERE

Gov. of Kenya

Advocacy oriented NGOs

National TU

Workers

Phase 4A new space opens up and is shaped as HEBI(early 2003)

Intl media

RetailersSuppliers

FpeakKFC

ETI

HEBI

Service Oriented NGOs

Commercial auditors

Consumers

fair trade

CORE POWER PLAYERS IN POWERSPHERE

Gov. of Kenya

Advocacy oriented NGOs

National TU

Workers

Phase 5: Spaces closing?HEBI stallsRetailers adopt more globalized and technical approaches. FT gains ground. (Late 2000s to now)

Intl media

RetailersSuppliers

FpeakKFC

ETI

Service Oriented NGOs

Commercial auditors

Big retailers

Consumers Fairtrade

Food safety agenda

Carbon & water footprint agendaElection violence 2007

Activist consumers

Dominant narratives in ethical trade

• Narrow focus on labour and food safety in sustainability• voluntary trade standards as the solution• Kenya stakeholders - demand for standards from large movements of

activist consumers, vs retailers managing reputational risks• Assumptions about who pays - suppliers not retailers • Whether retailers should make changes to purchasing practices• Relative importance food safety vs labour issues• Who should have a voice: Articulation by workers of their views - not valued• Technicisation of labour rights: output rights (hours worked, H&S etc)

prioritized over and above process rights, negotiation & capacity building• Shift in ETI rhetoric, compliance to transformation, but power relations same• FT as empowerment and providing worker voice – only ltd as yet?

Dominant narratives 2

Retailers• Not totally heterogeneous but generally multi-

stakeholder initiatives - too slow and ineffective. • NGOs and multi-stakeholder initiatives mainly

service providers (local resource for remediation), irritants when advocacy oriented.

• PSA too expensive No time for developing relationships between stakeholders. Others can represent workers (however effective they are in reality). Prefer ‘command and control’ approaches, harmonisation at global level etc.

Alternative narratives

– Other problems (e.g. wider environmental and social impacts

– What scope for workers to set own priorities?– Labour issues not less important than food

safety– Building worker awareness of labour rights or

potential of FT/other standards to build their voice, limitations of worker committees (welfare focus),

– TUs and NGOs linking up to support workers.

Conclusions

• More thought and attention should be given to how to support less powerful groups to articulate their own narratives, to open up participatory spaces, and to transform labour rights and standards

• Attention needed for improving not only ecological literacy but also political literacy?

• Useful concepts of powerspheres, factions, spaces, challenges – Synthesizing rich empirical material– Real time observations/ethnography of values/culture underlying

factions, as well as institutions/discourses and material resources

– Private sector access– Use in action research