Negotiating across difference: gendered exclusions and cooperation in the shea value chain

Shea butter, derived from the African shea tree, has acquired a pivotal position in global agro-food and cosmetics industries. In Burkina Faso, public and private actors as well as civil society are converging upon the product to boost the incomes of rural female producers. As a result of these tren...

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Main Authors: Elias, Marlène, Arora-Jonsson, S.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: SAGE Publications 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76351
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author Elias, Marlène
Arora-Jonsson, S.
author_browse Arora-Jonsson, S.
Elias, Marlène
author_facet Elias, Marlène
Arora-Jonsson, S.
author_sort Elias, Marlène
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Shea butter, derived from the African shea tree, has acquired a pivotal position in global agro-food and cosmetics industries. In Burkina Faso, public and private actors as well as civil society are converging upon the product to boost the incomes of rural female producers. As a result of these trends, the shea value chain is increasingly segmented; shea nuts are sold in a low-return, conventional market and simultaneously enter an alternative, high-value niche market. In the latter strand of the value chain, some producers are improving their prospects by forming an association. Tracing relationships across the two strands, we demonstrate how ‘horizontal’ relations based on gender, ethnicity, age and geography contribute to shaping participation and benefit capture in the shea value chain. We argue that processes of social inclusion and exclusion operate in parallel, as differentiated actors both cooperate and compete to secure their place within the chain. While collective organizing brings positive social and economic benefits, we show that producers’ associations need not be empowering for all women. The significance ofcollective enterprises, but also their drawbacks must be considered when valorising pathways to women’s empowerment. Our study reinforces calls for greater integration of horizontal elements in value chain analyses.
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spelling CGSpace763512025-12-08T10:29:22Z Negotiating across difference: gendered exclusions and cooperation in the shea value chain Elias, Marlène Arora-Jonsson, S. vitellaria paradoxa shea butter supply chain gender social behaviour discrimination Shea butter, derived from the African shea tree, has acquired a pivotal position in global agro-food and cosmetics industries. In Burkina Faso, public and private actors as well as civil society are converging upon the product to boost the incomes of rural female producers. As a result of these trends, the shea value chain is increasingly segmented; shea nuts are sold in a low-return, conventional market and simultaneously enter an alternative, high-value niche market. In the latter strand of the value chain, some producers are improving their prospects by forming an association. Tracing relationships across the two strands, we demonstrate how ‘horizontal’ relations based on gender, ethnicity, age and geography contribute to shaping participation and benefit capture in the shea value chain. We argue that processes of social inclusion and exclusion operate in parallel, as differentiated actors both cooperate and compete to secure their place within the chain. While collective organizing brings positive social and economic benefits, we show that producers’ associations need not be empowering for all women. The significance ofcollective enterprises, but also their drawbacks must be considered when valorising pathways to women’s empowerment. Our study reinforces calls for greater integration of horizontal elements in value chain analyses. 2016 2016-08-09T08:43:45Z 2016-08-09T08:43:45Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76351 en Open Access application/pdf SAGE Publications Elias, M.; Arora-Jonsson, S. (2016) Negotiating across difference: gendered exclusions and cooperation in the shea value chain. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space ISSN: 1472-3433
spellingShingle vitellaria paradoxa
shea butter
supply chain
gender
social behaviour
discrimination
Elias, Marlène
Arora-Jonsson, S.
Negotiating across difference: gendered exclusions and cooperation in the shea value chain
title Negotiating across difference: gendered exclusions and cooperation in the shea value chain
title_full Negotiating across difference: gendered exclusions and cooperation in the shea value chain
title_fullStr Negotiating across difference: gendered exclusions and cooperation in the shea value chain
title_full_unstemmed Negotiating across difference: gendered exclusions and cooperation in the shea value chain
title_short Negotiating across difference: gendered exclusions and cooperation in the shea value chain
title_sort negotiating across difference gendered exclusions and cooperation in the shea value chain
topic vitellaria paradoxa
shea butter
supply chain
gender
social behaviour
discrimination
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76351
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AT arorajonssons negotiatingacrossdifferencegenderedexclusionsandcooperationinthesheavaluechain