Journal of Hotel and Business Management
Open Access
ISSN: 2169-0286
+44 1478 350008
ISSN: 2169-0286
+44 1478 350008
Laura Piedra-Muñoz
The demand for certified products has grown greatly in recent years because their lower environmental impacts and the supposed extra profitability that certified agriculture should generate for farmers. Therefore, different types of certification have emerged. In this context, their impacts on sustainability have been widely discussed in the academic arena since it has produced contrasting results. This study contributes the discussion developing a compared evaluation of sustainability between organic and conventional banana in Ecuador. SAFA (Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture) is a new sustainability assessment tool that still lacks wide application in developing countries and it is chosen for the present analysis due to its ease of application and understanding. The results display how certified production overcomes conventional’ s in governance, environment and economic dimensions but performs lower in the social one. A possible explanation of this may rely on the size of the farms and production processes rather than certification standards. Furthermore, certifications are ineffective in correcting some crucial points that affect the sustainability management of the whole system such as the monoculture and the use of no renewable materials. The system is structured in a monoculture since all product is directed to exportation. Crop rotation and intercropping are an exception that is possible only in agri-forest farms, which are a small fraction of total producers, and this fact affects biodiversity. Researchers and practitioners can use this study as a valid reference point for the implementation of SAFA in other agricultural systems and managers as a guide for the control of processes in agri-foodbusinesses directed to augment the biodiversity and sustainability of the agricultural processes.
Published Date: 2021-06-30; Received Date: 2021-05-15