Coffee production networks in Costa Rica and Colombia: A systems analysis on voluntary sustainability standards and impacts at the local level

Abstract

The systems analysis framework has permeated the social and political sciences, and its use is increasing in the analysis of global value chains. Nevertheless, minimal research has applied this systems analysis to investigate voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in the value chain. This study employs systems analysis to explore the role and interactions of VSS in the coffee value chains of Costa Rica and Colombia. Using discourse analysis, the study identifies in the discourses of interviewed stakeholders system traps (this means specific archetypes systems tend to evolve when not balanced) and leverage points that can initiate rapid and significant changes in complex systems when introduced. The interviewed stakeholders cited numerous examples of events related to the identified traps and leverage points in the value chains examined. Another relevant finding is the coherence of these discourses, which were consistent and had no contradictions in different stakeholders’ expressions. The findings contribute to the research regarding private governance in the agricultural sector, introducing a new analytical framework.