Paper long abstract:

The legacies of the apartheid era are unfortunately still all too evident on South African farms, whilst the marginalisation of workers is continually reinforced by the mechanics of global supply chains. Meanwhile, international development agencies are increasingly promoting private sector solutions as a conduit for poverty alleviation and sustainable resource usage.

South African rural areas are proving to be something of a 'hotbed’ for the emergence of various forms of ethical production systems, which operate via direct linkages with international firms. One such example is the Wine Industry Ethical Trade Association (Wieta), originating from a pilot project enacted by the UK’s Ethical Trade Initiative. Using an auditing system, Wieta inspects its members, who now include fruit and flower producers, to ensure that minimum social standards are being attained.

This paper firstly, illustrates the ways in which various ethical production schemes have evolved in South Africa and secondly, evaluates the ways in which multi-scalar forces are interacting to construct ethical dimensions within specific agri-supply chains. The experiences of one Wieta member, the Flower Valley farm in Western Cape Province, whose commercial success relies upon the construction of specific ethical identities, will be interrogated in order to elucidate the roles played by different institutional actors in both developing and applying different forms of ethical code. The paper concludes by considering the role that international firms can play in facilitating socio-economic development in South Africa.