Panel 6: The Governance of Agricultural Supply ChainThis article addresses the question of the behavioral effectiveness of standards by looking at howVoluntary Sustainability Standards work as incentives in the adoption of sustainable agriculturepractices. We argue that they are effective because the institutions that are mobilized through agovernance arrangement enable producers to be linked with multiple stakeholders who provide supportfor the adoption of sustainable practices. We illustrate how these governance arrangements are set upthrough a cross-examination of case studies on PGS that have been developed in six countries aroundthe world (Bolivia, Colombia, India, Namibia, Philippines and Uganda). We explore which actors areinvolved in each case, how the problem of ‘unsustainability’ is framed in order to mobilize collectiveaction, and the effectiveness of these approaches in terms of institutionalizing organic agriculturepractices within the communities
