Agribusiness and Society: Corporate Responses to Environmentalism, Market Opportunities and Public Regulation

Contents......Page 6
Tables and figures......Page 9
ONE | Agribusiness and environmentalism: the politics of technology innovation and regulation......Page 10
Agribusiness strategies and environmentalism......Page 15
The politics of technology innovation......Page 18
Regulation after the sustainability decade......Page 21
Notes......Page 28
References......Page 29
PART I: Agribusiness’s Responses to Environmentalism in the Market......Page 32
Ciba-Geigy......Page 34
Vision 2000 - the triple bottom line......Page 35
The Farmer Support Team......Page 36
Sustaining the Farmer Support Team in a period of rapid change......Page 40
Vision 2000 in the year 2002......Page 41
Vision 2000 in hindsight......Page 42
Visions for sustainable development and the biotechnology experience......Page 44
Vision 2000 and sustainable agriculture......Page 46
The Farmer Support Team in context......Page 47
Notes......Page 48
References......Page 49
THREE | Monsanto facing uncertain futures......Page 51
Running into controversy: the problem of technological immobility......Page 54
The bottom line: investors' appreciation of an indebted company......Page 61
Confrontation with the public domain: technology in an ideological battle......Page 64
Conclusions......Page 70
Notes......Page 72
References......Page 73
FOUR | The appearance and disappearance of the GM tomato......Page 77
The splitting of the GM tomato......Page 80
Flavr does not Savr Calgene from death or Monsanto......Page 83
The Zeneca strategy......Page 88
The clash of configurations and the de-institution of the UK market for GM foods......Page 92
Conclusion......Page 96
Notes......Page 97
References......Page 98
FIVE | Contrasting paths of corporate greening in Antipodean agriculture......Page 100
Greening agriculture and food in Australia and New Zealand......Page 101
Corporate capital and greening......Page 104
The entry of corporate capital into organic agriculture......Page 106
Constructing 'organics': food products and corporate identity......Page 108
The retail sector and greening......Page 112
First and second phase greening......Page 115
Conclusion......Page 118
References......Page 119
SIX | Room for manoeuvre? (In)organic agribusiness in California......Page 123
Is agribusiness inorganic?......Page 125
Defining agribusiness......Page 130
Agribusiness takeover?......Page 133
Agribusiness influence......Page 139
The value of land in the land of value......Page 143
Conclusion......Page 146
Notes......Page 147
References......Page 148
PART II: Regulating Corporate Agribusiness: New Roles for the Public Sector......Page 152
SEVEN | Greening bananas and institutionalizing environmentalism......Page 154
Images and international markets......Page 155
Honduran pressure to improve environmental performance......Page 157
Two environmental certificates......Page 159
The scope for changing pesticide use......Page 162
Forms of self-regulation......Page 168
Green bananas and the limitations of self-regulation......Page 174
Conclusion......Page 177
Notes......Page 178
References......Page 181
EIGHT | The DBCP pesticide cases: seeking access to justice to make agribusiness accountable......Page 185
The rise and fall of DBCP......Page 186
Banana workers from the developing South seek justice: DBCP litigation in the USA......Page 189
Avoiding liability with a subverted forum non conveniens doctrine......Page 193
Corporate defendants seek an FNC dismissal......Page 196
 Latin America takes a stand......Page 197
A globalized economy requires globalized access to justice......Page 201
Notes......Page 203
References......Page 207
NINE | Business and biotechnology: regulation of GM crops and the politics of influence......Page 209
Regulation for business......Page 210
NGOs and civil regulation......Page 229
Conclusion......Page 234
References......Page 236
TEN | Social struggles and the regulation of transgenic crops in Brazil......Page 241
Monsanto and the making of regulatory frameworks......Page 242
Conditions for the introduction of transgenic crops in Brazil......Page 245
Alternative perspectives on development and technology......Page 248
The development of the controversies......Page 253
Conclusion......Page 261
Notes......Page 263
References......Page 265
ELEVEN | Private versus public? Agenda-setting in international agro-technologies......Page 270
Technology as will and idea......Page 271
The Green Revolution: international agro-technology and the Cold War......Page 274
The gene revolution: international agro-technology and the market......Page 279
Food as a right: international agro-technology in an era of 'failed states'......Page 285
Conclusion: agro-technological multiculturalism......Page 291
Notes......Page 293
References......Page 294
Notes on contributors......Page 298
Index......Page 302