Propuesta educativa del Museo Camilo Egas 114

Both Coope Tarrazú and Coope Llano Bonito started to offer talks about sustainability topics. In addition, both have started to promote sustainable farming practices by offering some kind of compost distribution program to members. In fact, both have improved these services since certifications were introduced. This is especially the case for RA where the impacts of certifications on services offered are most evident.

Yet we cannot conclude the cooperatives’ services have become sustainability-oriented because of certifications. In both cooperatives, there has been a development of environmental awareness creating already before certifications were introduced. This was especially the case for Coope Tarrazú that has started the sustainability course before obtaining certification.

Hypothesis 2: Because of certifications, the cooperatives have started to integrate sustainability topics into the services offered to farmers.

52 As the concepts go hand in hand, the exact impacts of certifications on coop activities cannot be separated from the impacts of the environmental discourse that has started before certifications.

An exception are some talks that have according to the coop administrators been introduced

specifically to meet certification requirements. Still, as it became clear that the cooperatives have not started to integrate sustainability topics because of certifications, the second hypothesis must be omitted. Because the cooperative administrators have pointed out some effects of certifications, mainly regarding changes in talks, we instead conclude that certifications have helped improving the sustainability-related services of cooperatives.

.

Even though literature concerning the effect of certifications on activities offered by the cooperatives is limited, it has been suggested for the case of Fair trade that indeed one of the main benefits is that it the cooperatives’ ability to provide enhanced services to their members (Murray & Taylor, 2003; Raynolds et al., 2004). Case studies from Latin American coffee cooperatives have described the re- directing of FT funds in particular to environmental projects and farmer trainings to be amongst the benefits farmer accrue from participating in certification (Raynolds et al., 2004). In Colombia, in particular RA certified farmers appreciate these benefits from certification, as they state amongst the more common reasons to stay in the RA program the improved technical assistance from their association.

As for the third hypothesis, it can be concluded that cooperatives are indeed important sources of information. Farmers at both cooperatives perceived either talks and/or the agricultural engineers to be the most important sources of information on advances in farming practices. Thus cooperatives are considered important mediators of environmental standards as described by certifications. Moreover, even though this does not apply to all practices, in the case of herbicide reduction but also for increasing SPS and to a smaller extent the use of compost, the cooperatives have successfully assisted farmers in “greening practices”. Yet it is important to note that the environmental standards underlying the successful greening of practices as described by certifications are not necessarily inherent to certifications systems. It was shown before, that these standards form part of a bigger context. This study has shown that the certification standards are in line with the cooperatives own strategies, which are i turn inspired by many other external factors besides certifications.

As already hinted in the introduction, the interrelation between certifications, cooperative and farming practices, which is discussed here, remains largely unexplored. Of the studies that

investigate the role of the cooperative in mediating the effects of certifications (see also Table 3) only three are considered eligible to compare to the results of this study, as they take into consideration in their analysis both the cooperative’s actions as well as farming practices (Aranda & Morales, 2002; Rueda & Lambin, 2013; Valkila, 2009).

Of the three studies mentioned, one investigated RA certification (Rueda & Lambin, 2013). It was depicted that in Colombia, certification has led to the dissemination of information about sustainable farming practices through the associations’ extension service. As a consequence, the author

concludes, RA Alliance certified farmers have successfully “greened” their farming practices (IPM, shade trees, water conservation) and mention as one of the benefits from the program the access to trainings.

Hypothesis 3: The cooperatives are important sources of information for farmers, e.g. by providing extension services. In consequence, cooperatives are important mediators of environmental standards as described by certifications thus ‘greening’ farming practices.

53 The second study (Aranda & Morales, 2002) was conducted in Mexico and investigates amongst other quests the environmental impacts of Fairtrade and organic certification. In regards to farming practices it was found that the 2nd _{level Fairtrade cooperative put resources into the dissemination of} organic farming practices, to help farmers convert to organic farming. The outcomes an increased transition to organic production, and, according to the author “improved soil conservation [..] as well as the increased consciousness about the importance of conservation in general”. However this is not further specified neither underpinned with quantitative data nor quotations. Again there are some parallels to the Llano Bonito case, in which the 2nd _{level Fairtrade cooperative (COOCAFE) provides} some trainings and other services related to sustainability to the individual member cooperatives (see also 4.3). Yet, the outcome of these programs on farming practices remains largely unspecified as these 2nd _{level programs have not, at least not under the “certification label” reached the farmers} consciousness.

The third study having explored the connection between certification, the cooperative and farmers comes from Nicaragua (Valkila, 2009). While the focus of the study is, again, a socio-economic one, the author explains only marginally how Nicaraguan Fairtrade cooperatives have, in conjunction with financial and technical support of NGOs, supported farmers in the transition to organic certification, a similar case as found in the Mexican cooperatives described before. Yet this study did some farm- level investigations in which fertilizing practices of farmers only certified Fairtrade vs. farmers certified Fairtrade and organic, were analyzed in detail. Both groups are part of the same Fairtrade cooperative. The author’s conclusion was that if the group of farmers only certified Fairtrade used less fertilizers they did so because of a lack in financial means and not because of conviction. On the other hand, the organic group was convinced about their practices. Thus it can be concluded that Fairtrade helped some but not all farmers in the cooperative to employ better farming practices in the long run.