Taking the environment seriously in production network research, policy and practice: Insights from Kenyan horticulture

在生产网络研究、政策和实践中认真对待环境：来自肯尼亚园艺的见解

• 批准号: ES/S011692/1
• 负责人: Aarti Krishnan
• 金额: $ 11.53万
• 依托单位: University of Manchester
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2018 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FS011692%2F1
• 关键词: Taking; environment; seriously; production; network

This proposed research maximises the academic and non-academic impact of PhD research on the environmental, economic and social dimensions of Kenyan horticultural farmers participation in production networks. Fresh fruits and vegetables is one of Kenya's foremost foreign exchange earners, and over 12 million farmers depend on the sector for their livelihoods. Kenyan farmers face a very challenging environment, needing to simultaneously address the effects of changing trade patterns and environmental change. Much horticultural trade occurs through value chains, which are a series of linkages from the initial stages of production or farms, through processing and intermediaries and ultimately to retailers and consumers. While Kenyan farmers can find particularly lucrative opportunities through exporting to European and other developed country markets, they need to comply with stringent private standards with escalating environmental requirements which are mandated by global (or Northern) supermarkets. At the same time, regional supermarkets within East Africa are expanding and have their own standards requirements, including with environmental dimensions. Standards can threaten farmer livelihoods, while climate variability and extremes tend to further marginalize farmers' from selling into global and regional markets. The research addresses the socio-economic-environmental implications on how farmers participating in different value chains struggle with different environmental pressures.The fellowship will build on PhD research involving a rigorous, mixed-method approach, including 106 key informant interviews, six focus group discussions and a survey of 579 farmers across four counties in Kenya (Murang'a, Machakos, Nyandarua, Meru) where snow peas, garden peas, avocados and mangoes are produced. It demonstrates that farmers' ability to environmentally upgrade, i.e. use greener products and processes in farming and adapting to climate change, varies immensely between farmers exporting to Europe compared to those selling regionally.A central aspect of the programme of activities during the fellowship will be three articles for high impact journals on how farmers are embedded in different production networks, how they can upgrade and on regional entrepreneurial farmers. A research visit to Kenya will provide an essential opportunity to maximise the non-academic impact in relation to Kenyan horticultural communities and policymakers. It will also enable new pilot research on an emerging challenge within the Kenyan horticultural sector - Agtech and Foodtech as part of the 4th Industrial Revolution. This pilot research will provide initial insight into how new digital technologies may restructure horticultural value chains, setting a basis for future research projects. In addition to engagement events with sustainability standards' stakeholders in Europe, I will make a visit to Copenhagen Business School to collaborate with a leading researcher on the environment and production networks. The fellowship will have a strong knowledge exchange component, focused on two key audiences - a sustainability standards stakeholders in Brussels, Geneva and London; and Kenyan horticultural policymakers and communities. A series of stakeholder meetings, workshops and policy notes will be conducted to exchange the research results with these groups. My findings will thus be used to shape legislation in Kenya on standards and contribute to creating resilient livelihoods for farmers. The fellowship provides an opportunity to make a significant contribution to emerging research on environment and production networks within academia, and to provide an evidence base to inform decision making in policy and practice. In sum, this fellowship is an excellent stepping stone to disseminating my research, building new networks and partnerships and learning new communication skills to be a successful researcher.

这项拟议的研究最大限度地发挥了博士研究对肯尼亚园艺农民参与生产网络的环境、经济和社会层面的学术和非学术影响。新鲜水果和蔬菜是肯尼亚最重要的外汇收入来源之一，超过 1200 万农民依赖该行业维持生计。肯尼亚农民面临着非常具有挑战性的环境，需要同时应对贸易模式变化和环境变化的影响。许多园艺贸易是通过价值链发生的，价值链是从生产或农场的初始阶段，经过加工和中间商，最终到达零售商和消费者的一系列联系。虽然肯尼亚农民可以通过向欧洲和其他发达国家市场出口来找到特别有利可图的机会，但他们需要遵守严格的私人标准以及全球（或北方）超市强制规定的不断升级的环境要求。与此同时，东非的区域超市正在扩张，并有自己的标准要求，包括环境方面的标准要求。标准可能会威胁农民的生计，而气候变化和极端情况往往会进一步使农民无法向全球和区域市场销售产品。该研究探讨了参与不同价值链的农民如何应对不同环境压力的社会经济环境影响。该奖学金将以博士研究为基础，涉及严格的混合方法，包括 106 名关键知情者访谈、六次焦点小组讨论以及对肯尼亚四个县（穆兰阿、马查科斯、尼安达鲁阿、梅鲁）的 579 名农民进行的调查，这些县种植雪豆、花园 出产豌豆、鳄梨和芒果。它表明，与向区域销售的农民相比，向欧洲出口的农民的环境升级能力（即在农业中使用更绿色的产品和流程以及适应气候变化）存在巨大差异。奖学金期间活动计划的一个核心内容是在高影响力期刊上发表三篇文章，内容涉及农民如何融入不同的生产网络、他们如何升级以及区域创业型农民。对肯尼亚的研究访问将为最大限度地发挥与肯尼亚园艺界和政策制定者相关的非学术影响提供重要机会。它还将使新的试点研究成为可能，以解决肯尼亚园艺部门面临的新挑战——农业科技和食品科技，作为第四次工业革命的一部分。这项试点研究将为新的数字技术如何重组园艺价值链提供初步见解，为未来的研究项目奠定基础。除了与欧洲可持续发展标准的利益相关者进行接触活动外，我还将访问哥本哈根商学院，与环境和生产网络方面的领先研究人员合作。该奖学金将具有强大的知识交流成分，重点关注两个关键受众：布鲁塞尔、日内瓦和伦敦的可持续发展标准利益相关者；以及肯尼亚园艺政策制定者和社区。将举行一系列利益相关者会议、研讨会和政策说明，与这些团体交流研究成果。因此，我的研究结果将用于制定肯尼亚的标准立法，并有助于为农民创造有弹性的生计。该奖学金提供了一个机会，为学术界内关于环境和生产网络的新兴研究做出重大贡献，并为政策和实践决策提供证据基础。总之，这项奖学金是传播我的研究、建立新的网络和合作伙伴关系以及学习新的沟通技巧以成为一名成功的研究人员的绝佳垫脚石。

项目成果

Research Handbook on International Corporate Social Responsibility

国际企业社会责任研究手册

• DOI: 10.4337/9781802207040.00009
• 发表时间: 2023
• 作者: Alford M

Handbook on Global Value Chains

全球价值链手册

• DOI: 10.4337/9781788113779.00044
• 发表时间: 2019
• 作者: Horner R

Counting carbon in global trade Why imported emissions challenge the climate regime and what might be done about it

计算全球贸易中的碳 为什么进口排放会挑战气候制度以及对此可以采取哪些措施

• 发表时间: 2020
• 作者: Krishnan, A

The Principles of Digital Transformation for Development (DX4D): Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

数字化转型促进发展的原则（DX4D）：系统文献综述和未来研究议程

• DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4607264
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: SSRN Electronic Journal
• 作者: Heeks R

Environmental Upgrading and Downgrading in Global Value Chains: A Framework for Analysis

• DOI: 10.1080/00130095.2022.2100340
• 发表时间: 2022-08-13
• 期刊: ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
• 影响因子: 7
• 作者: Krishnan, Aarti;De Marchi, Valentina;Ponte, Stefano
• 通讯作者: Ponte, Stefano