The potential of Geographical Indications to promote sustainability in Brazilian cocoa agroforestry systems

Details

Supervisors

Van den Broeck, Goedele

Faculty

Faculté des bioingénieurs

Degree label

Master [120] : bioingénieur en sciences agronomiques, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

enGeographical Indications (GIs) are increasingly promoted as tools for sustainable development in agri-food systems, yet empirical evidence of their environmental and socio- economic impacts remains limited, particularly in the Global South (Török et al., 2020). This master thesis presents the first interdisciplinary field-based assessment of a GI-certified cocoa system in Brazil. Focusing on the Sul da Bahia GI, which valorises cocoa produced in traditional cabruca agroforestry systems, it explores whether this certification has the potential to improved sustainability outcomes of cocoa production in the region. Combining household economic surveys, vegetation assessments, monitoring of the endangered Golden-headed lion tamarin (GHLT) and mammal camera traps, the study compares GI-certified and non-certified farms in terms of economic performance and ecological value. It also analyses the certification’s governance, technical criteria, and traceability mechanisms. Certified farms obtained higher cocoa prices, greater participation in value-added processing, and significantly higher household income. However, these benefits were observed in farms with more resources, larger size, better education, and greater technical support, suggesting limited inclusivity. Ecologically, non-certified farms had higher shade tree density, greater mammal diversity, and more suitable habitat for the GHLT, indicating that current GI standards may be insufficient to generate biodiversity benefits. Nonetheless, as the GI was only established in 2018, its long-term impacts may still be unfolding. For now, its role may lie more in preserving cabruca systems by maintaining their economic viability, especially in larger farms. Finally, the study highlights how the recent global cocoa price crisis has weakened incentives for certification, exposing the vulnerability of sustainability schemes to market dynamics. Overall, it calls for more context-specific, inclusive, and environmentally ambitious GI frameworks, and offers recommendations to strengthen their transformative potential through locally grounded governance.