Eco-certification is widely perceived to be an increasingly important strategy to improve the environmental performance of agriculture in an era of global trade integration and apparent weakening of regulatory capacity of nation-states. Few analyses have sought to determine whether ecolabeled products are produced in a manner that conserves natural resources and mitigates risks to ecological integrity. The authors report on a 2003 audit of farming practices in banana production in Ecuador. They find that certified farms significantly outperform noncertified farms on all environmental assessment criteria. In many cases, noncertified farms are out of compliance with Ecuadorian environmental law. Thus, there is evidence to support claims that ecocertified products pose relatively lower ecological risks. In evaluating limitations of their study, the authors note a need to develop longitudinal data sets to assessif and how certification motivates behavioral change at the level of production.
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