ABSTRACT In recent years, the Kenya cut flower industry has been criticised for poor labour pract... more ABSTRACT In recent years, the Kenya cut flower industry has been criticised for poor labour practices, raising questions about the capacity of codes of conduct to improve working conditions. Multi-stakeholder processes are touted as one way to improve the effectiveness of codes, particularly where there is local ownership and a broad range of stakeholders buy into the process. This paper explores the trajectory of ethical sourcing in Kenya's cut flower industry. It focuses specifically on the factors underlying the emergence of the Horticultural Ethical Business Initiative (HEBI), a multi-stakeholder body launched to guide social accountability in Kenya's cut flower industry. It identifies the points of consensus and conflict articulated by the different stakeholder categories within HEBI and the strengths and weaknesses of stakeholder partnerships for realising workers' rights.
Significant environmental benefits are claimed for local food systems, but these biophysical indi... more Significant environmental benefits are claimed for local food systems, but these biophysical indicators are increasingly recognised as inadequate descriptors of supply chain ethics. Social factors such as health are also important indicators of good practice, and are recognised by the organic and local food movements as important to the development of rounded sustainable agricultural practices. This study compared the self-reported health status of farm workers in the United Kingdom, Spain, Kenya and Uganda who were supplying distant markets with fresh vegetables. Workers on Kenyan export horticulture farms reported significantly higher levels of physical health than did Kenyan non-export farm workers and workers in the other study countries. Mean health levels for farm workers in the United Kingdom were significantly lower than relevant population norms, indicating widespread levels of poor health amongst these workers. These results suggest that globalised supply chains can provide social benefits to workers, while local food systems do not always provide desirable social outcomes. The causal mechanisms of these observations probably relate more to the social conditions of workers than directly to income.
The Politics of Private Standards (POPS) African horticulture is responding to market demand for ... more The Politics of Private Standards (POPS) African horticulture is responding to market demand for quality produce that also complies with buyer codes on agricultural practice and labour rights by establishing private standards initiatives (PSIs) What do PSIs mean for regulation and stakeholder relationships in developing countries and along the global value chain? The Governance Implications of Private Standards Initiatives in Agri-food Chains
Abstract This chapter explores the potential of multi-stakeholder standards initiatives (MSIs) to... more Abstract This chapter explores the potential of multi-stakeholder standards initiatives (MSIs) to open up new spaces for engagement between the private sector, trade unions, NGOs and others for dialogue and action to promote labour rights. We focus primarily on an MSI in ...
... development resources have been used to bolster the expansion of floriculture, yet few ... th... more ... development resources have been used to bolster the expansion of floriculture, yet few ... the 1990 Food Safety Act's requirement of traceability in the supply chain necessi-tates ... only covered technical issues such as chemical usage, environ-mental management, post-harvest ...
ABSTRACT In recent years, the Kenya cut flower industry has been criticised for poor labour pract... more ABSTRACT In recent years, the Kenya cut flower industry has been criticised for poor labour practices, raising questions about the capacity of codes of conduct to improve working conditions. Multi-stakeholder processes are touted as one way to improve the effectiveness of codes, particularly where there is local ownership and a broad range of stakeholders buy into the process. This paper explores the trajectory of ethical sourcing in Kenya's cut flower industry. It focuses specifically on the factors underlying the emergence of the Horticultural Ethical Business Initiative (HEBI), a multi-stakeholder body launched to guide social accountability in Kenya's cut flower industry. It identifies the points of consensus and conflict articulated by the different stakeholder categories within HEBI and the strengths and weaknesses of stakeholder partnerships for realising workers' rights.
Significant environmental benefits are claimed for local food systems, but these biophysical indi... more Significant environmental benefits are claimed for local food systems, but these biophysical indicators are increasingly recognised as inadequate descriptors of supply chain ethics. Social factors such as health are also important indicators of good practice, and are recognised by the organic and local food movements as important to the development of rounded sustainable agricultural practices. This study compared the self-reported health status of farm workers in the United Kingdom, Spain, Kenya and Uganda who were supplying distant markets with fresh vegetables. Workers on Kenyan export horticulture farms reported significantly higher levels of physical health than did Kenyan non-export farm workers and workers in the other study countries. Mean health levels for farm workers in the United Kingdom were significantly lower than relevant population norms, indicating widespread levels of poor health amongst these workers. These results suggest that globalised supply chains can provide social benefits to workers, while local food systems do not always provide desirable social outcomes. The causal mechanisms of these observations probably relate more to the social conditions of workers than directly to income.
The Politics of Private Standards (POPS) African horticulture is responding to market demand for ... more The Politics of Private Standards (POPS) African horticulture is responding to market demand for quality produce that also complies with buyer codes on agricultural practice and labour rights by establishing private standards initiatives (PSIs) What do PSIs mean for regulation and stakeholder relationships in developing countries and along the global value chain? The Governance Implications of Private Standards Initiatives in Agri-food Chains
Abstract This chapter explores the potential of multi-stakeholder standards initiatives (MSIs) to... more Abstract This chapter explores the potential of multi-stakeholder standards initiatives (MSIs) to open up new spaces for engagement between the private sector, trade unions, NGOs and others for dialogue and action to promote labour rights. We focus primarily on an MSI in ...
... development resources have been used to bolster the expansion of floriculture, yet few ... th... more ... development resources have been used to bolster the expansion of floriculture, yet few ... the 1990 Food Safety Act's requirement of traceability in the supply chain necessi-tates ... only covered technical issues such as chemical usage, environ-mental management, post-harvest ...
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