Small islands developing states (SIDS) sustainability is a United Nations’ aim. Their markets are often influenced by external policies imposed by larger economies. Could an anti-competitive measure affect the food vulnerability of a SIDS? This research examines the effects of an external non-tariff measure (NTM) on Puerto Rico’s (PR) agribusinesses. It explores the effects of a maritime cabotage regulation (US Jones Act) on the affordability and accessibility of produce and grains. PR imports 100% of their needs of grain and over 85% of fresh produce. PR’s food imports are generally from the US and the trade service is restricted to the use of the US maritime transportation. As a result, the supply chain of these two sectors although different, are limited by the US Act that may impact the cost of food, its availability, firms’ efficiency and other structures of production. Using a mixed convergent design, PR’s agrifood supply chains were explored and analysed in relation to the maritime cabotage regulation. Oligopolistic structures and collusion between maritime transporters and local agribusinesses importers limit the access to data, but other internal factors also have a role. Fieldwork shows that while the cabotage regulation itself is a constraint, interaction with others NTM and the current political framework between US and PR are relevant. Factors such as lack of efficiency, poor innovation and a self-limitation of the agribusinesses firms were found. The novelty of this research is the use of mixed methods to evaluate the effects of cabotage on the agrifood supply chain.

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No presente estudo examinou-se a influência da coordenação dos Sistemas Agroalimentares Locais (SIAL) na exploração dos ativos estratégicos territoriais (AET) para o desenvolvimento de vantagens competitivas sustentáveis. Para tanto, desenvolveu-se o framework da Construção Social de Vantagens Competitivas em Sistemas Agroalimentares Locais. Esse framework é sustentado por três abordagens teóricas, a Economia das Convenções, a Visão Baseada em Recursos e o Sistema Agroalimentar Local. A conjugação destas três vertentes teóricas permite entender o processo dinâmico de construção coletiva da qualidade de um produto agroalimentar oriundo de uma determinada região, pois proporciona um processo de complementaridade entre os ativos estratégicos territoriais e as formas de coordenação praticadas, bem como permite identificar os fatores de sustentação estratégicos envolvidos nessa complementaridade. Com intuito de validar esse framework, realizou-se um estudo multi casos na pecuária de corte, onde estudou-se a Indicação de Procedência da Carne do Pampa Gaúcho e o Programa de Carne Natural Certificada do Uruguai. Foram realizadas entrevistas em profundidade com os agentes de cada um dos casos, onde se verificou as quatro etapas que compõem o framework proposto, a motivação, a relevância, a coerência na ação coletiva e a legitimação. Os resultados mostraram que em ambos os casos estudados, as etapas do framework sinalizam condições favoráveis, indicando um possível desenvolvimento de vantagens competitivas. No caso específico da etapa referente à coerência da ação coletiva, onde ocorreu a principal contribuição desse estudo, identificou-se a presença de várias formas de coordenação ao longo do SIAL, e que essas formas fazem combinações entre si, gerando, consequentemente, uma complementaridade entre os AET. Por fim, conclui-se que o caráter compósito das formas de coordenação é pertinente para entender a complementaridade dos recursos, o que nos permite afirmar que as formas de coordenação influenciam na exploração dos ativos estratégicos territoriais. / In the present study, the influence of the coordination of Local Agrifood Systems (SIAL) in the exploration of territorial strategic actives (AET) for the development of sustainable competitive advantages was examined. For this purpose, a framework of the Social Construction of Competitive Advantages in Local Agrifood Systems was developed. This framework is supported by three theoretical approaches: Economy of Conventions, Resource- Based Perspective and Local Agrifood System. The conjugation of these three theoretical perspectives assists in the understanding of the dynamic process of collective construction regarding the quality of an agroalimentary product originated from a certain region. This occurs due to the fact that this conjugation provides a complementarity between the territorial strategic actives and the practiced coordination forms and it also allows the identification of strategic sustentation factors involved in this complementarity. With the objective of validating this framework, a study of multiple cases in the beef cattle industry was carried out, in which the Indication of Origin of the Meat of the Gaucho Pampas and the Uruguayan Program of Certified Natural Meat were studied. In-depth interviews with agents from both the cases were carried out. The four stages that compose the proposed framework: motivation, relevance, coherence in the collective action and legitimation were also verified. The results demonstrated that in both the cases studied, the stages of the framework point to favorable conditions, indicating a possible development of competitive advantages. In the specific case of the stage that refers to the coherence of collective action, in which resides the main contribution of this study, the presence of several forms of coordination throughout the SIAL could be identified and also the fact that these forms combine with each other, consequently generating a complementarity between the AET was observed. At last, it was concluded that the composite character of the coordination forms is pertinent in order for one to understand the resource complementarity. This allows one to affirm that the coordination forms have an influence in the exploration of territorial strategic actives.

No presente estudo examinou-se a influência da coordenação dos Sistemas Agroalimentares Locais (SIAL) na exploração dos ativos estratégicos territoriais (AET) para o desenvolvimento de vantagens competitivas sustentáveis. Para tanto, desenvolveu-se o framework da Construção Social de Vantagens Competitivas em Sistemas Agroalimentares Locais. Esse framework é sustentado por três abordagens teóricas, a Economia das Convenções, a Visão Baseada em Recursos e o Sistema Agroalimentar Local. A conjugação destas três vertentes teóricas permite entender o processo dinâmico de construção coletiva da qualidade de um produto agroalimentar oriundo de uma determinada região, pois proporciona um processo de complementaridade entre os ativos estratégicos territoriais e as formas de coordenação praticadas, bem como permite identificar os fatores de sustentação estratégicos envolvidos nessa complementaridade. Com intuito de validar esse framework, realizou-se um estudo multi casos na pecuária de corte, onde estudou-se a Indicação de Procedência da Carne do Pampa Gaúcho e o Programa de Carne Natural Certificada do Uruguai. Foram realizadas entrevistas em profundidade com os agentes de cada um dos casos, onde se verificou as quatro etapas que compõem o framework proposto, a motivação, a relevância, a coerência na ação coletiva e a legitimação. Os resultados mostraram que em ambos os casos estudados, as etapas do framework sinalizam condições favoráveis, indicando um possível desenvolvimento de vantagens competitivas. No caso específico da etapa referente à coerência da ação coletiva, onde ocorreu a principal contribuição desse estudo, identificou-se a presença de várias formas de coordenação ao longo do SIAL, e que essas formas fazem combinações entre si, gerando, consequentemente, uma complementaridade entre os AET. Por fim, conclui-se que o caráter compósito das formas de coordenação é pertinente para entender a complementaridade dos recursos, o que nos permite afirmar que as formas de coordenação influenciam na exploração dos ativos estratégicos territoriais. / In the present study, the influence of the coordination of Local Agrifood Systems (SIAL) in the exploration of territorial strategic actives (AET) for the development of sustainable competitive advantages was examined. For this purpose, a framework of the Social Construction of Competitive Advantages in Local Agrifood Systems was developed. This framework is supported by three theoretical approaches: Economy of Conventions, Resource- Based Perspective and Local Agrifood System. The conjugation of these three theoretical perspectives assists in the understanding of the dynamic process of collective construction regarding the quality of an agroalimentary product originated from a certain region. This occurs due to the fact that this conjugation provides a complementarity between the territorial strategic actives and the practiced coordination forms and it also allows the identification of strategic sustentation factors involved in this complementarity. With the objective of validating this framework, a study of multiple cases in the beef cattle industry was carried out, in which the Indication of Origin of the Meat of the Gaucho Pampas and the Uruguayan Program of Certified Natural Meat were studied. In-depth interviews with agents from both the cases were carried out. The four stages that compose the proposed framework: motivation, relevance, coherence in the collective action and legitimation were also verified. The results demonstrated that in both the cases studied, the stages of the framework point to favorable conditions, indicating a possible development of competitive advantages. In the specific case of the stage that refers to the coherence of collective action, in which resides the main contribution of this study, the presence of several forms of coordination throughout the SIAL could be identified and also the fact that these forms combine with each other, consequently generating a complementarity between the AET was observed. At last, it was concluded that the composite character of the coordination forms is pertinent in order for one to understand the resource complementarity. This allows one to affirm that the coordination forms have an influence in the exploration of territorial strategic actives.

No presente estudo examinou-se a influência da coordenação dos Sistemas Agroalimentares Locais (SIAL) na exploração dos ativos estratégicos territoriais (AET) para o desenvolvimento de vantagens competitivas sustentáveis. Para tanto, desenvolveu-se o framework da Construção Social de Vantagens Competitivas em Sistemas Agroalimentares Locais. Esse framework é sustentado por três abordagens teóricas, a Economia das Convenções, a Visão Baseada em Recursos e o Sistema Agroalimentar Local. A conjugação destas três vertentes teóricas permite entender o processo dinâmico de construção coletiva da qualidade de um produto agroalimentar oriundo de uma determinada região, pois proporciona um processo de complementaridade entre os ativos estratégicos territoriais e as formas de coordenação praticadas, bem como permite identificar os fatores de sustentação estratégicos envolvidos nessa complementaridade. Com intuito de validar esse framework, realizou-se um estudo multi casos na pecuária de corte, onde estudou-se a Indicação de Procedência da Carne do Pampa Gaúcho e o Programa de Carne Natural Certificada do Uruguai. Foram realizadas entrevistas em profundidade com os agentes de cada um dos casos, onde se verificou as quatro etapas que compõem o framework proposto, a motivação, a relevância, a coerência na ação coletiva e a legitimação. Os resultados mostraram que em ambos os casos estudados, as etapas do framework sinalizam condições favoráveis, indicando um possível desenvolvimento de vantagens competitivas. No caso específico da etapa referente à coerência da ação coletiva, onde ocorreu a principal contribuição desse estudo, identificou-se a presença de várias formas de coordenação ao longo do SIAL, e que essas formas fazem combinações entre si, gerando, consequentemente, uma complementaridade entre os AET. Por fim, conclui-se que o caráter compósito das formas de coordenação é pertinente para entender a complementaridade dos recursos, o que nos permite afirmar que as formas de coordenação influenciam na exploração dos ativos estratégicos territoriais. / In the present study, the influence of the coordination of Local Agrifood Systems (SIAL) in the exploration of territorial strategic actives (AET) for the development of sustainable competitive advantages was examined. For this purpose, a framework of the Social Construction of Competitive Advantages in Local Agrifood Systems was developed. This framework is supported by three theoretical approaches: Economy of Conventions, Resource- Based Perspective and Local Agrifood System. The conjugation of these three theoretical perspectives assists in the understanding of the dynamic process of collective construction regarding the quality of an agroalimentary product originated from a certain region. This occurs due to the fact that this conjugation provides a complementarity between the territorial strategic actives and the practiced coordination forms and it also allows the identification of strategic sustentation factors involved in this complementarity. With the objective of validating this framework, a study of multiple cases in the beef cattle industry was carried out, in which the Indication of Origin of the Meat of the Gaucho Pampas and the Uruguayan Program of Certified Natural Meat were studied. In-depth interviews with agents from both the cases were carried out. The four stages that compose the proposed framework: motivation, relevance, coherence in the collective action and legitimation were also verified. The results demonstrated that in both the cases studied, the stages of the framework point to favorable conditions, indicating a possible development of competitive advantages. In the specific case of the stage that refers to the coherence of collective action, in which resides the main contribution of this study, the presence of several forms of coordination throughout the SIAL could be identified and also the fact that these forms combine with each other, consequently generating a complementarity between the AET was observed. At last, it was concluded that the composite character of the coordination forms is pertinent in order for one to understand the resource complementarity. This allows one to affirm that the coordination forms have an influence in the exploration of territorial strategic actives.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2017-04-04T16:13:56Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) TESE ALBERTO DIAS DE MORAES VERSÃO DIGITAL.pdf: 6286250 bytes, checksum: b977a3b2aa13fcc1a9b6d4dc29479131 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-04T16:13:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) TESE ALBERTO DIAS DE MORAES VERSÃO DIGITAL.pdf: 6286250 bytes, checksum: b977a3b2aa13fcc1a9b6d4dc29479131 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-24 / O objetivo desta tese é analisar as relações sociais de troca que se estabelecem entre os produtores frutícolas dos perímetros federais irrigados do polo Petrolina-Juazeiro, vale do rio São Francisco, e os agentes dos mercados de frutas frescas. Investigar o modo como essas relações, operadas a montante e a jusante da cadeia produtiva de frutas se apresentam, que contextos e estruturas sociais as influenciam e quais as mediações que requerem. O trabalho realizado permite entender como funcionam esses mercados, de alto grau de individualização e incertezas, característico do modo de produção capitalista. Para além das explicações da teoria econômica, o mercado é aqui entendido como um processo histórico de construção social. A abordagem teórico-metodológica inclui o tema dos sistemas agroalimentares globais e conceitos da economia das organizações, e tem como base contribuições da sociologia da agricultura e dos alimentos e da sociologia econômica; conceitos bourdieusianos de campo, habitus, capitais, poder, hierarquias e interesses, entre outros, são utilizados para compreender os contextos atuais, a ação das forças estruturantes dos mercados e as mediações requeridas nas relações sociais de troca comercial. A investigação empírica, por questão de economia de tempo e de recursos, se concentrou nos dois maiores e mais complexos perímetros federais do polo, o Nilo Coelho, em Petrolina (PE) e o Maniçoba, em Juazeiro (BA), cujos ocupantes foram selecionados e tomados como representativos do universo pesquisado. A metodologia, predominantemente qualitativa, integra diferentes técnicas de pesquisa, inclusive quantitativas, como a aplicação de análise de survey, que serviu para atualizar os dados relativos aos grupos de fruticultores que exploram os denominados lotes de colonos. As entrevistas semiestruturadas foram trabalhadas com o recurso da análise de conteúdo. Os resultados obtidos respondem às hipóteses da pesquisa, revelando um longo processo de construção social, globalizado e com alto grau de incerteza e riscos, a exigir a coordenação de múltiplos fatores. Como demonstrado neste estudo, as relações sociais de troca comercial estão submetidas a influências diversas, que as promovem ou as constrangem, vindas do próprio contexto e de estruturas sociais formadas ao longo de seu desenvolvimento histórico.. O estudo identificou, a partir dos relatos, valiosas oportunidades para a produção de frutas frescas, que estimulam o protagonismo de seus agentes – se bem que não acessíveis para todos -, dadas por características da natureza e da cultura, destacando-se a particularidade do clima; a existência de redes sociais eficientes no acesso aos mercados e ao conhecimento, arranjos institucionais ainda favoráveis à produção e uma disposição empresarial que parece dar sentido à vida. Isto nada obstante, foram relatadas ameaças conjunturais e estruturais à competitividade, vindas, por exemplo, da iminência de crises do abastecimento hídrico, de contingências climáticas e econômicas, dos custos crescentes e das estratégias comerciais de competidores internacionais. Para lidar com as incertezas desse contexto, os agricultores lançam mão, em suas interações de troca comercial, de relações pessoais baseadas em valores morais, em práticas que se revelam, para além dos preços, como fatores de coordenação desses mercados. / The aim of this thesis is to analyse the social relationships of trading that are established among fruit producers of irrigated federal perimeters of the pole Petrolina-Juazeiro in the San Francisco Valley and the agents of fresh fruit markets. It is investigated how these relationships operated at the input and the processing subsystems of agribusiness of the productive chain of fruits are presented, what contexts and social structures influence them and what mediations are required. The work done allows the understanding of how these markets function, of the high degree of individualization and of uncertainty, distinctive of the capitalist means of production. Beyond the theoretical-economical explanations, the market, before mentioned, is here understood as a historical process of social construction. The theorethic-methodological approach includes the theme of global agrifood systems and concepts of economy of organizations and it has as a basis contributions of sociology of agriculture and food, and of economic sociology; Bourdieu‟s own concepts of field, habitus, power, hierarchies and dispute of interests, among others, are utilized to comprehend the nowaday contexts, the action of structuring forces on the markets and the mediations needed in the social relationships of commercial trading. This empirical investigation, due to economy of time and resources, was concentrated in the two biggest and most complex federal perimeters: Nilo Coelho in Petrolina, Pernambuco and Maniçoba in Juazeiro, Bahia whose inhabitants were selected and considered as representatives of the universe studied. The methodology, predominantly qualitative, is composed of different research techniques, including quantitative ones, such as application of analyses of survey that aided in describing the group of fruit growers that exploit the so-called lots of settlers with up-dated data from the agents. The semi-structured interviews used the analysis of content method. The results obtained answered to the hypothesis of the research revealing a long process of social construction that implicates, today, on a mercantile, intensive and globalized context with a high degree of uncertitudes and risks, demanding the coordination of multiple factors. As it is shown in this study, the social relations of commercial trading are submitted to diverse influences that promote or downplay them and are originated from the own context and social structures formed during their historical development.. The study identified, from reports, valuable opportunities to the production of fresh fruit that stimulate the protagonism of their agents – but not accessible to all of them - formed by distinction of nature and of culture, highlighting weather particularities, the existence of efficient social networks to access markets and knowledge, institutional procedures still favorable to production and an entrepreneurial mentality that seems to give life a meaning. Nevertheless it all, conjunct and structural threats to competiveness were related, coming from, for instance, the imminent possibility of collapse of water supply, of climate and economic contingencies, of growing costs and of commercial strategies of international competitors. To deal with the uncertainties of this context, the farmers use, in their commercial interactions, personal relations based on moral values in practices that relent the prices as coordinate factors of these markets.

By the early 20th century, in 1920, Black farmers owned 14% of US farmland. Today, in the 21st century, Black farmers own less than 2% of US farmland. The demise of Black farmers and Black farmland in US Agriculture is a direct result of social, political, and racial weaponization against their foodways, culture, and livelihoods. The history concerning the plight of Black farmers goes beyond USDA's historical discrimination but enters a position where racism is embedded and perpetuated within the structure of US agriculture. In effect, Black small-scale farmers have reaped the downfall of this system, enduring racial biases and a complex relationship to the land for future generations. This dissertation examines and investigates the contemporary challenges associated with Mississippi’s small-scale Black farmers and their strategies that resist these challenges to create a self-sufficient agricultural system. Employing a qualitative approach using 31 semi-structured interviews and 4 focus groups discussions, in total of 87 persons, this research studies barriers and resilience strategies by amplifying the voices of small-scale Black farmers across Mississippi. This work draws from previous scholarship in institutional racism, colorblind racism, Black agrarianism, community based organizations, food sovereignty, and Black geographies. Findings indicate that racism still undermines Black farmers in agriculture. Still, they resist and combat these barriers by becoming powerful agents that bring catalyst change in the form of community togetherness and self-sufficiency.