Search Research Database
Project Record

Objectives:

To examine the needs, interests and rights of employees in the export horticultural sectors of Kenya, Zambia and South Africa and analyse the extent to which they are addressed through (a) worker participation and (b) wider stakeholder participation.

To identify best practice in implementing gender-sensitive ethical trade based on stakeholder participation.

To develop a rights-based conceptual framework to support a gender analysis of ethical trade.

To consider how ethical trade and complementary international and national policy can jointly contribute to enhancing the economic and social rights of workers.

Background:

This proposal is to undertake a second phase in depth assessment of gender and ethical trade in export horticulture in sub-Saharan Africa. The first phase, carried out between March 2000-2001, was a small ESCOR-funded project (£35,000) that provided an initial mapping of codes and their gender content, and the extent of stakeholder participation in ethical trade in South Africa, Kenya and Zambia. It found that a plethora of codes is currently being introduced in the sector, coming from European supermarkets, importers, exporters and trade associations. The study developed a framework or 'gender pyramid' to analyse the gender content of codes at three levels. It found that the gender content of horticultural codes is at best variable, and often very poor. Outside the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) pilot projects in South Africa and Zimbabwe, there is currently little participation by workers or local stakeholders, and codes of conduct are being implemented in a top down gender insensitive fashion. The report of Phase 1 concluded that a more systematic gender analysis is required of ethical trade as a potential means of addressing the civil, economic and social rights of female as well as male workers. It argued that viable mechanisms need to be developed to ensure the participation of marginalised workers and representative civil society organisations, in order to enhance gender sensitivity in the process of code implementation. Finally, it concluded that in order to addresss broader issues of gender inequity, that are beyond the scope of ethical trade alone, complementary policies are required of government and international organisations. This second phase proposal aims to build on the first phase by exploring these issues in depth.

Intended Outputs:

Concept paper on ethical trade, gender, rights and participation.

Country stakeholder workshops.

Country reports.

Country-specific briefing papers.

Manual on gender-sensitive monitoring and verification of ethical trade.

Policy workshop in UK.

Book on ethical trade in African horticulture: gender, rights and participation or three refereed journal articles.

Paper File Reference:

ESC 0103 1309/0856/001A

Associated References:

R7525