Inclusive by design? Rethinking sustainability standards and certification schemes for smallholders
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Carballido, Aroa
Arias, Ana
Ares-Sainz, Jose Luis
Feijoo, Gumersindo
Moreira, Maria Teresa
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The transition to more sustainable models requires the active participation of all stakeholders in value chains. Although large producers tend to bear the majority of environmental, economic and social burdens, small producers also play a vital role in promoting sustainability and circularity. However, their ability to adapt and adopt technological innovations is often limited by narrower profit margins. Therefore, sustainability requirements must be applied flexibly and proportionately to small producers, without underestimating any criteria, while encouraging compliance wherever possible. Currently, most standards and certification schemes do not differentiate between actors in the value chain, focusing mainly on large producers. In this context, this manuscript aims to identify and propose a set of requirements tailored to small producers, using an integrated approach encompassing environmental, economic, social and circular sustainability. Various key certification schemes were used as the basis for defining evaluation indicators. The manuscript also introduces a scoring methodology that combines three complementary evaluation methods: (i) evaluation of the quality of certification schemes, (ii) evaluation of the minimum requirements applicable to small producers and (iii) evaluation of the suitability and practical applicability of the indicators. Thus, this manuscript aims to facilitate the meaningful integration of small producers into sustainable and circular development trajectories.
Date Issued
2025-12-01
Date Acceptance
2025-10-23
Citation
Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 2025, 24
ISSN
2666-1543
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Agriculture and Food Research
Volume
24
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by- nc-nd/4.0/ ).
Subjects
Agriculture
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Certification schemes
Circularity
Food Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Science & Technology
Scoring
Smallholders
Sustainability
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
102470
Date Publish Online
2025-10-24