Territorial agro-food chains. Tensions and insights from the dairy sector of the Ecuadorian Amazon

Abstract

Farmers participating in the dairy food chain in the province of Pastaza, Ecuadorian Amazon, face major difficulties. Their weak bargaining power, cost structures above price, significant dependence on the market and low value added are important challenges for farmers themselves and for public management. In this sense, the Amazon Productive Transformation Agenda, a new paradigm for public policy in this territory, is a challenging initiative. This research analyzes the conditions that enable local producers, as actors of the agro-food chain, to strengthen their position before other subsectors. To this end, we use the methodological approach of Montpellier and territorial agro-food chains, both of which have allowed us to shape the low negotiating power of local actors as explained by poor collective action that limits the enhancement of endogenous resources in the territory.