Social Learning in Food Quality Governance – Evidences from Geographical Indications Amendments

Hanna Edelmann,Philippe Jeanneaux,Kristina Broscha,Andrea Marescotti,Marianne Penker,Silvia Scaramuzzi,Xiomara Fernanda Quiñones-Ruiz,Giovanni Belletti

doi:10.5334/ijc.968

Abstract

Food producers can define collective quality standards and legally protect the origin, characteristics, traditions and the reputation of a place-based product through geographical indications (GIs). Producers, processors and other relevant actors in the GI production system codify and adapt their production rules via the GI Product Specification and possible amendments. Based on the Management and Transition Framework (Pahl-Wostl et al. 2010), we developed a framework to analyze the role of social learning in food quality governance and adaptation. We analyzed as case studies two cheeses protected by a Protected Designation of Origin, Laguiole (France) and Bitto (Italy). They were selected according to diverse institutional contexts, existing amendments of the Product Specification, and access to documents and interviewees willing and capable to recall the amendment processes. A comparative case study approach served to analyze the amendment processes embedded in different arenas for social learning. Actors amended their Product Specification due to both system-internal (e.g., locally generated knowledge, negotiation processes) and external (e.g., market evolution, new breeds/varieties) pressures. In the two cases, there have been social learning processes among local producers, with diverging outcomes. The results shed light on the dynamic interactions of the drivers for amendments, knowledge generation and integration processes, social learning and negotiation, learning outcomes as well as re–evaluation and re-negotiation. The design of multi-level social learning arenas can help protecting the product identity of evolving social-ecological systems and may contribute to a consistent and long-term strategy going beyond short-term local pressures.

Highlights

Social-ecological systems have been governing and adapting their resource systems despite developments or shocks that impose pressure over the system
Based on the outcomes of a document analysis of all EU geographical indications (GIs) amendments (Quiñones-Ruiz et al 2018), we found that most amendments were done by cheese GIs and selected two case studies following these criteria: countries with a long GI history but different institutional contexts (France with a more centralised GI system, Italy with a more regional approach), existing amendment/s of the Product Specification to grasp the learning process from registration to the approved amendment/s, and access to documents and interviewees willing and capable to recall the amendment process/es
We focus on the learning process associated with the amendment of authorized breeds as it is a very clear example of how a social learning process can foster a proactive evolution of a GI (Figure 3)

Summary

Introduction

Social-ecological systems (e.g., irrigation or transhumance systems) have been governing and adapting their resource systems despite developments or shocks that impose pressure over the system. Amending practices and institutions (understood as the rules of the game) are strongly linked to a learning process and previous experiences. De Kraker (2017, 100) defines learning as “a change in knowledge, skills or attitudes that may result in changes in behavior or even institutions. Social learning can increase a system’s adaptive capacity to remain profitable and to overcome shocks (Pahl-Wostl et al 2010). We look at learning processes in territorial food systems, at products bearing a geographical indication (GI). GIs have been defined as evolving social-ecological systems (Quiñones-Ruiz et al 2015)

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion