Protected Designation of Origin and Sustainability Characterization: The Case of PDO Cocoa Arriba

Carlos Moreno-Miranda, Jeanette Jordán, Raúl Moreno, Pablo Moreno and Jenny Solis
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Carlos Moreno-Miranda: Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy Group, Wageningen School of Social Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, 6701 Wageningen, The Netherlands
Jeanette Jordán: Faculty of Science and Engineering in Food and Biotechnology, Technical University of Ambato, Ambato 180101, Ecuador
Raúl Moreno: Faculty of Food Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
Pablo Moreno: School of Management, Swansea University, Swansea SA1-1EJ, UK
Jenny Solis: Faculty of Food Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, 08019 Barcelona, Spain

Agriculture, 2019, vol. 9, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: The employment of Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) in agri-food products through recognized chains has a fundamental economic role in Ecuador. A substantial amount of research has focused on examining the crop performance of PDO products. However, there is a shift in the agri-food chain perspective towards more sustainable models. In this respect, social, economic, and institutional aspects are consequential and contribute to the agri-food sector development. The current rise in market opportunities at the local and international level drives support for them. This study aims to analyze socio-economic and governance components, in order to understand the PDO Cocoa Arriba ( Theobroma cacao ) chain sustainability performance and propose potential future strategies. Principal Components Analysis was used to contribute relevant insight. This framework applies accounts with a revision of primary and supporting activities. The investigation clustered pre-production, production, and post-production tiers. It also executed food chain mapping and identified chain actors. Results suggested several viable long-term strategies. Examples of these strategies include the enhancement of national regulation to assist chain actors, and the stimulus of young producers and empowerment of associations. The main contribution to the research was the application of governance mechanisms to comprehensively assess chain performance. Based on the results, we recommend incorporating new indicators to analyze the environmental and institutional components in detail.

Keywords: socio-economic; agricultural regulation; family farming; governance mechanism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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