Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
• no development element
• undocumented workers must be more comprehensively addressed
• better training for social justice needed (e.g. auditor training for social skills)
• no reference made to price setting and subcontractor/operator relationships
• land tenure of indigenous people needs to be addressed
• lack of technical assistance for compliance to producers
• IBS do not address farmer's contracts with buyers
• standards address gender discrimination, but are not explicit about cultural values
• uncertified organic or 'de facto' organic is not addressed in standards
• regulations needed for the negotiation of fair contracts, and
• farmers need access to government programs.
These issues capture the constellation of concerns that are part of the 'social agenda' of the
organic movement. Different organisations and individuals are working on different aspects of
these concerns and issues in many different ways. The Rural Advancement Foundation Inter-
national (RAFI) and IFOAM are among them, and their efforts are outlined in the following
paragraphs.
RAFI has developed a comprehensive set of social stewardship standards (Henderson
et
al
.
2003), with the intent of reincorporating social justice in sustainable agriculture and to address
the gaps of other standards and growing concerns of many in the organic sector. The standards
are divided into the following sections: farmer rights and buyer responsibilities; buyer rights
and farmer responsibilities; indigenous people's rights; farm workers' rights; interns and
apprentices. It is uncertain as to whether another label will emerge from these efforts or
whether instead the promoters will continue to work with other standard-setting organisa-
tions to improve the standards that are already in place.
IFOAM, as the membership-based international voice of the organic sector, has partici-
pated in the social justice meetings both in Victoria and in Bangkok, as well as supporting the
development and implementation of the survey described above. In addition, IFOAM has
undertaken several key initiatives to address the social agenda within the organic sector,
including the development of a code of conduct for traders, participation in the Social Account-
ability in Sustainable Agriculture (SASA) Project, coordination of three years of meetings to
address smallholder certification, ongoing communication and collaboration with partners in
fair trade, the development of the Organic Traders Charter and so on.
The SASA Project definition of social responsibility issues areas are well recognised as key
social justice concerns internationally (SASA 2005). Key issues addressed in the project include:
• general information social accountability;
• freedom of association and right to collective bargaining;
• working hours;
• seasonal workers, contracts and undocumented workers;
• child labour;
• health and safety;
• wages/compensation;
• discrimination;
• basic treatment and disciplinary practices; and
• forced labour.
Although the breadth of social issues and the many conceptualisations of social responsi-
bility in the organic world are outlined earlier in this chapter, the SASA issues listed above are
the main components of social responsibility considered further.
