ABSTRACT
Chapters 4 and 5 of this volume examine the different pathways of commercialization adopted by large and small-scale producers, including a mixture of conventional, GAP-certified, organic and customary production methods. Large-scale producers frequently point out that they are mindful of the food safety standards expected from GAP and organic certification, although many of them are not certified GAP and organic producers. GAP referencing generates what I call commercialized trust for the quality of their food. It is expressed in globally and nationally institutionalized industrial food standards. For farmers, GAP standards represent ‘the ascendancy of institutional trust-producing structures’ for profit-oriented growth in agriculture (cf. Zucker 1986).
