Does eco-certification have environmental benefits? Organic coffee in Costa Rica

Allen Blackman and Maria A. Naranjo

Ecological Economics, 2012, vol. 83, issue C, 58-66

Abstract: Eco-certification of coffee, timber and other high-value agricultural commodities is increasingly widespread. In principle, it can improve commodity producers' environmental performance, even in countries where state regulation is weak. But eco-certification will have limited environmental benefits if, as one would expect, it disproportionately selects for producers already meeting certification standards. Rigorous evaluations of the environmental effects of eco-certification in developing countries that control for selection bias are virtually nonexistent. To help fill this gap, we use detailed farm-level data to analyze the environmental impacts of organic coffee certification in central Costa Rica. We use propensity score matching to control for selection bias. We find that organic certification improves coffee growers' environmental performance. It significantly reduces chemical input use and increases adoption of some environmentally friendly management practices.

Keywords: Eco-certification; Coffee; Central America; Costa Rica; Propensity score matching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q13 Q20 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (56)

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Working Paper: Does Eco-Certification Have Environmental Benefits? Organic Coffee in Costa Rica (2010)
Working Paper: Does Eco-Certification Have Environmental Benefits? Organic Coffee in Costa Rica (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:83:y:2012:i:c:p:58-66

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.08.001

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