#1Strengths and limitations of the Round Table for Responsible Soy - RTRS in Mato Grosso, Brazil Mateo Mier y Terán G.C. Presentation of draft paper at International Conference on Global Land Grabbing 6-8 April 2011 Organised by the Land Deals Politics Initiative (LDPI) in collaboration with the Journal of Peasant Studies and hosted by the Future Agricultures Consortium at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex IDS Institute of Development Studies#2Questions: 1. What are the purposes of the RTRS generally, and in Mato Grosso in particular? 2. Are land investment and sustainability goals made compatible through it? 3. What are the underlying politics of the process? 4. And who wins and who loses with the certification initiative of the RTRS?#3Soybean production in Brazil and Mato Grosso RR AP AM PA 1990' MA AC RO MT GO TO MS SP PI 1980' RS 1960' BA CE RN Fonte Vegetação: Embrapa - Análise - Aprosoja Source: Aprosoja Legenda: Área de Cultivo de Soja#4Querência, MT Local Sustainable Agricultural Practices • Consensus around having Areas of Permanent Preservation - APP (Forest Code), but there is a process to make this possible. How to reforest? • Multiple initiatives from the government and diverse types of partnerships ● Producers are organized politically#5Stories (macro-narratives) of a sustainable soybean agri-food system 1. Denial Narrative; 2. Minimal Responsibility Narrative; 3. Incompatible Alternatives Narrative; 4. Environmental Pragmatism Narrative#6Denial Narrative#7Minimal Responsibility Narrative#8Incompatible Alternatives Narrative#9Environmental Pragmatism Narrative#10The RTRS principles: RTRS Round Table on Responsible Soy Association 1) Legal compliance and good business practice 2) Responsible labor conditions 3) Responsible community relations 4) Environmental responsibility 5) Good agricultural practices#11Reflections around the RTRS initiative I a) Actors motivations: Image management / CSO (Arts, 2002, van Huijstee & Glasbergen 2010) and coordination and information management / value chain analysis (Henson and Humphrey 2010) b) Pre-defined conception of responsible and sustainable principles c) Minimum standards d) Heterogeneity of producers and stakeholders e) Dismissed power relation along the chain#12Reflections around the RTRS initiative II f) Transition to sustainability g) Which producers will be able to take advantage of the potential opportunities offered by the RTRS and which producers will be marginalized by this initiative?#13Questions 1) Does it make sense to emphasize the role of the mddle holder? 2) Relation between the RTRS and the State 3) Evaluating the RTRS – multiple changes (reformism) with strengthening alternatives in parallel (The incompatibility paradox) 4) Relevance of case studies#14Criticisms and comments are welcomed Thanks