ABSTRACT
The use of geographical indications (GIs) has been rising among rural producers and communities who seek to differentiate their products from anonymous mass-produced products. This chapter details the potential impact of GIs on the empowerment of rural producers and communities through the democratization of agricultural production that reduces their dependence on agribusiness. The chapter identifies and illustrates the conditions for the increasing of such grassroots rent-seeking capacities in GI protection, with particular focus on the characteristics of the GI process. To this end, case studies of GIs from Turkey’s Aegean region are presented and subjected to a commodity chain analysis. This study argues that GIs are a tool for local socioeconomic development and the democratization of agri-food, depending on how they are designed by local actors. It presents a comparative study to analyze the conditions through which GI protection may potentially contribute to the reproduction of territorial quality, traditional techniques and small producers in general.
