Do we need to categorize it? Reflections on constituencies and quotas as tools for negotiating difference in the global food sovereignty convergence space

Convergence–as an objective and as a process–designates the coming together of different social actors across strategic, political, ideological, sectoral and geographic divides. In this paper, we analyze the global food sovereignty movement (GFSM) as a convergence space, with a focus on constituencies and quotas as tools to maintain diversity while facilitating convergence. We show how the use of constituencies and quotas has supported two objectives of the GFSM: alliances building and effective direct representation in global policy-making spaces. We conclude by pointing to some convergence challenges the GFSM faces as it expands beyond its agrarian origins.</p

A holistic perspective on corporate sustainability drivers

Since company boards are increasingly discussing 'sustainability', it becomes necessary to examine the nature of sustainability drivers. Most approaches to corporate sustainability drivers have focused either on internal or external drivers. This paper is aimed at providing a more holistic perspective on the different corporate sustainability drivers in order to better catalyse change from the unsustainable status quo to a more sustainable-oriented state. Empirical data was collected from experts and company leaders. The findings show that, internally, leadership and the business case are the most important drivers, whilst the most important external drivers are reputation, customer demands and expectations, and regulation and legislation. The paper proposes a corporate sustainability driver model, which considers both internal and external drivers, and complements these with drivers that connect them. This offers a holistic perspective on how companies can be more proactive in their journey to becoming more sustainability orientated

Green growth or ecological commodification: debating the green economy in the global south

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: BROWN, E.D. ... et al, 2014. Green growth or ecological commodification: debating the green economy in the Global South. Geografiska Annaler Series B - Human Geography, 96 (3), pp. 245 - 259., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geob.12049. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.This article examines recent institutional thinking on the green economy and the implications of official understandings and structuration of a green economy for the global South. Assertions about the transformative potential of a green economy by many international actors conceals a complexity of problems, including the degree to which the green economy is still based on old fossil economies and technical fixes, and the processes through which the green economy ideation remains subject to Northern economic and technical dominance. The article places the intellectual roots of the green economy within a broader historical context and suggests some ways the strategic economic and ideological interests of the global North remain key drivers of green-economy thinking. The analysis is substantiated through two illustrative Latin American examples: the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor and green economy initiatives in Brazil. These suggest that, if the green economy is to address global challenges effectively, it must be conceptualized as more than a bolt-on to existing globalizing capitalism and encompass more critical understandings of the complex socio-economic processes through which poverty is produced and reproduced and through which the global environment is being transformed, a critique which also applies to mainstream discourses of sustainable development