Organic farming and fair trade certified chains have emerged in West-Africa since the 1990s in
answer to new alternative markets in developed countries. These chains, involving actors from
North and South, are seen as an opportunity to sustainably valorise the small peasants agriculture
in Africa and include the smallholders in global markets. Certification and labelling systems
accompany these chains in developed countries. The aim of this article is to analyze the
challenges for smallholders of this new North- South trade regime established by certificates and
labels.
This article uses the theory of Global Value Chains as theoretical framework. The empirical
framework consists of four cases (organic sesame; organic- fair sesame; fair cotton and organicfair
cotton) in Mali and in Belgium and France. It focuses on data that are gathered during our
inquiry based on a questionnaire with the chains stakeholders in the south and in the north. The
chains upstream inquiry was conducted in Mali with individuals producers, producers
organizations, exporters; and the downstream inquiry was conducted in Belgium and France with
European importers, distributors and certifications bodies.
The results show that the new North- South regime established by organic and fair certificates
and labels has a potential impact on the negotiation power and value distribution between chain
participants. Lack of adequate local institutions in Southern countries, and increasing complexity
of the “cahiers de charges” imposed by the North however may cause exclusion of many
smallholders in these new North-South trade networks