Doctoral Dissertation Research: Setting the Standard -- Competing Values in the South African Red Meat Commodity Chain

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

This dissertation research improvement grant examines the impact of changing international and national standards on human and non-human actors in the South African red meat commodity chain. South Africa only recently has had the opportunity to become an acceptable partner in the international trading arena. In order to be successful in international markets, South Africa may have to adopt standards that call into question the existing "traditional" standards that have and continue to serve other purposes, beyond the economic. This project will examine the way standards shape and are shaped by social interaction, and therefore, will reveal the ethical values that are embedded in standards. Such an understanding will improve the ability to examine the impact of global trade in agriculture and food on diverse groups of actors, particularly as they differ by race and gender, at the national and local levels. The project utilizes four complementary methods to analyze how standards promote particular values and how differing networks negotiate these standards. The methods include: (1) semi-structured interviews, (2) on-going participant observation, (3) a review and analysis of technical documents related to the historical development of red meat standards, and (4) a review of official statistics on the red meat industry in South Africa.