Making the leap: commodity chains and the potential for global environmental histories of capitalism

This article is a brief response to Leonardo Marques’ essay “Commodity Chains and the Global Environmental History of the Colonial Americas.” It focuses on the practical and theoretical limitations of commodity-chain histories as away to address our political and environmental moment. It argues that commodity-chain histories must overcome the complexity of their subjects, and leap the theoretical gap between local and global scales without losing sight of nature. To do so, the article advocates for more work by environmental historians, and a focus on transformation rather than commodity flows.

Inter-market Variability of Smallholder Beef Cattle Farming in East Java Indonesia

Indonesia has failed to achieve meat self-sufficiency; meanwhile, East Java is among the centers of beef cattle with a relatively high contribution in terms of GDP and employment. Therefore, this study aims to identify and analyze the market structure of the beef cattle commodity chain by considering the concentration ratio, Gini Index, as well as barriers to exit and entry. The study was conducted in Malang Regency and Sapudi Island, with 164 respondents, which consisted of calf suppliers, farmers, traders, and slaughterhouses. Furthermore, the analytical tools used include descriptive, concentration ratio, Gini Coefficient, and analysis of barriers to entry and exit. Based on the results, the market structures in the beef cattle commodity chain in terms of its input market was perfect competition, while the intermediate and output market was oligopoly. These results were confirmed by the concentration ratios of calf suppliers and farmers, which were lower than the ratios of traders and slaughterhouses. Although the market structures were different, their Gini Coefficients are almost similar because a value of 0.2 showed an equitable distribution. Additionally, the barriers to entry into the market were high investment with a large number of import and market problems. Meanwhile, the barriers to exit the market were a large number of potential demands, high investment, and a source of income.

Place-making in the Pacific: Can Geographical Indications Support the Sustainable Development of the Nonu Industry in Samoa?

<p>Geographical Indications (GIs) are place-based names that convey the unique environmental, geographical and cultural origins of agricultural products. A GI is designed to protect products by highlighting exclusive features that differentiate tailored and often more 'localised' produce from those which are homogenous and mass produced. GIs are governed by local actors, thus providing a means of control to ensure that production stays in the local area. Yet they also operate within the interface of global to local spheres, providing a 'glocalised' link between people, product and place. GIs can signal messages to extra-local consumers, providing information on the specifics of product production, as well as reflecting quality and standards for ethical consideration. Therefore, GIs and their market labels, are essentially 'markers of origin'; offering a form of certification which virtually guarantees the origin of the product. The degree to which GIs can protect local, environmental and cultural resources arguably depends on the structure of the GI legislation. In the Pacific region, GI is in its infancy. In Samoa, the Intellectual Property Act of 2012 is in force and contains the foundations of a US influenced GI. Using a commodity chain approach, I compare these two systems; (1) the current US/WTO system and (2) a European (EU) based GI. Developing a theory of factors that contributes to the more sustainable development of the Nonu Industry in Samoa, I argue that the Samoan Nonu product cannot compete in the Pacific region due to the large-scale production of its main competitor, Tahitian Noni. I therefore recommend that the industry may be more sustainably served by adopting a collaborative 'bottom-up' approach, in the form of a European GI, which promotes the niche qualities of local products, by utilising a rigorous narrative codex/certification system, to reduce inter-island and even international competition.</p>

Place-making in the Pacific: Can Geographical Indications Support the Sustainable Development of the Nonu Industry in Samoa?

<p>Geographical Indications (GIs) are place-based names that convey the unique environmental, geographical and cultural origins of agricultural products. A GI is designed to protect products by highlighting exclusive features that differentiate tailored and often more 'localised' produce from those which are homogenous and mass produced. GIs are governed by local actors, thus providing a means of control to ensure that production stays in the local area. Yet they also operate within the interface of global to local spheres, providing a 'glocalised' link between people, product and place. GIs can signal messages to extra-local consumers, providing information on the specifics of product production, as well as reflecting quality and standards for ethical consideration. Therefore, GIs and their market labels, are essentially 'markers of origin'; offering a form of certification which virtually guarantees the origin of the product. The degree to which GIs can protect local, environmental and cultural resources arguably depends on the structure of the GI legislation. In the Pacific region, GI is in its infancy. In Samoa, the Intellectual Property Act of 2012 is in force and contains the foundations of a US influenced GI. Using a commodity chain approach, I compare these two systems; (1) the current US/WTO system and (2) a European (EU) based GI. Developing a theory of factors that contributes to the more sustainable development of the Nonu Industry in Samoa, I argue that the Samoan Nonu product cannot compete in the Pacific region due to the large-scale production of its main competitor, Tahitian Noni. I therefore recommend that the industry may be more sustainably served by adopting a collaborative 'bottom-up' approach, in the form of a European GI, which promotes the niche qualities of local products, by utilising a rigorous narrative codex/certification system, to reduce inter-island and even international competition.</p>

Peranan UMKM Agribisnis Komoditi Apel Melalui Hilirisasi Pertanian dalam Pemulihan Perekonomian di Kota Batu

MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) are important to the national economy. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected a wide variety of sectors, including MSMEs, all over the world. The study's objectives were to: 1. identify agribusiness SMEs in the upstream and downstream parts of the apple commodity chain; 2. investigate the position of upstream and downstream agribusiness in Batu City's GRDP; and 3. determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on tourist visits and the productivity of Medium, Small, and Micro Apple agribusiness businesses. The study location was purposely decided in the city of Batu in March-April 2021. Non-probability and purposive sampling were used to determine the respondents. The information gathered is both secondary and primary. The data was analyzed using a descriptive qualitative approach. Out of 23,544 MSMEs in Assess the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on the environment. Batu district, 1001 (4.25 %) were upstream and downstream apple agribusinesses, according to the findings. Upstream accounts for 78 % apple agribusiness and 22 % of apple agribusiness. Apple cultivation and sales of equipment for apple cultivation are examples of upstream apple agribusiness MSMEs activities. Meanwhile, the downstream apple agribusiness MSMEs is engaged in apple packaging, sales, processing, and sales of apple processed products. Upstream agribusiness accounts for 12.9 percent of Batu city's GRDP, while downstream agribusiness accounts for 20.3 percent of Batu's GRDP. In the upstream and downstream fields, the Covid-19 pandemic has a negative effect on tourist visits and MSMEs' productivity. To return to pre-Covid-19 conditions, it is recommended that the Batu City Government and MSMEs utilize digitalization technology to enhance efficiency, especially in downstream MSMEs.

Trading Fast and Slow: Fish Marketing Networks Provide Flexible Livelihood Opportunities on an East African Floodplain

Domestic marketing networks in inland small-scale fisheries (SSF) provide food and income to millions of the rural poor globally. Yet these contributions remain undervalued, as most trade is informal and unmonitored, and inland fisheries overlooked in research and policy. Taking a commodity chain approach, we provide a case study of access arrangements governing how people come to enter and benefit from the freshwater fish trade on Tanzania's Rufiji River floodplain. We conducted a repeat market survey, interviews, and participant observation with actors at all levels of the district trade over 15 months. Gender, age, and social capital structured participation patterns, with younger men dominating the more lucrative but riskier fresh trade, older men prioritizing steady income from smoked fish, and women culturally constrained to selling a “cooked” product (i.e., fried fish). Nearly all participants were local, with traders drawing on a complex web of relationships to secure supplies. The majority of market vendors cited the trade as their household's most important income source, with women's earnings and consumption of unsold fish likely to have substantial benefits for children's well-being. Our findings reveal a resilient and pro-poor trade system where, starting with small initial investments, people overcame considerable environmental, financial, regulatory, and infrastructural challenges to reliably deliver fish to rural and urban consumers. Preserving the ecological integrity of Rufiji wetlands in the face of hydro-power development and climate change should be a priority to safeguard the livelihoods and well-being of local inhabitants.

The Limits of Corporate Chains and Brand Management: “Loyalty” and the Efficacy of Vernacular Markets in the Andes

This article offers a nuanced ethnographic description of the encounter between multinational corporations and the economic actors who distribute and commercialize their commodities. By analyzing the labor of lower-level employees and the strategies of the middle management of Samsung Electronics Bolivia against traders’ practices and understandings and the vernacular market infrastructure, I offer a substantive interpretation of the obstacles and unintended outcomes of corporate commodity chain and brand management as it expands into an “emerging” market such as that in Bolivia. Street vendors, shopkeepers, and wholesalers are teased with personalized attention, gifts, and monetary incentives to sell the high-priced premium brands and build legible inventory, but they have remained notoriously disloyal. By focusing on the agreements and tensions between corporations and traders about how to move, store, categorize, advertise, and price the products, this article engages with the literature on urban marketplace trade and commercial transactions, counterfeit commodities, and economic power in globalized markets and supply chains. To think about the appeal and effectiveness of vernacular market channels and arrangements offers a conceptual lens to critically address the efficiency paradigm in supply-chain thinking, as well as to analyze discrepancies and power struggles not only among economic actors (such as traders and corporations) but also between different forms of valuation that co-exist and compete in markets. RESUMEN Este artículo ofrece una detallada descripción etnográfica del encuentro entre empresas multinacionales y los actores económicos que distribuyen y comercializan sus mercancías. Al analizar la labor y las estrategias de los empleados de Samsung Electronics Bolivia frente a las prácticas y visiones de los comerciantes, así como la infraestructura social, material y afectiva del mercado vernáculo, ofrezco una interpretación sustantiva de los obstáculos en la gestión corporativa de la cadena de productos (supply chain management) y en el marketing (branding) a medida que se expanden hacia mercados “emergentes” como el boliviano. Al centrarme en los acuerdos y las tensiones entre las empresas y los comerciantes sobre cómo mover, almacenar, categorizar, valorar y comercializar los productos, este artículo reconsidera la literatura sobre el comercio de las plazas de mercado, las mercancías falsificadas y los procesos de economización. Pensar en el atractivo y la eficacia de los canales y arreglos del mercado vernáculo ofrece una lente conceptual para abordar críticamente el paradigma de la eficiencia en el pensamiento sobre las cadenas de suministro, y permite observar discrepancias y luchas de poder no sólo entre unos agentes económicos (como los comerciantes y las empresas), sino también entre diferentes formas de valoración que conviven y compiten en los mercados.