SUSTAINABILITY, ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC

Export horticulture has been criticized by some for its negative environmental impact - both on natural resources within the producing country and through excessive use of air transport and packaging materials - and for its potentially negative social impact through exploitation of labour. These considerations have led to the introduction of environmentally positive management standards and, more recently, social codes of practice. These standards and codes are primarily aimed at commercial farms and pack-houses: they may not be directly appropriate to other types of farm, particularly smallholder farms, and in their present form could reduce smallholders' opportunities to enter the export sector. At the same time, sole dependence on a small number of commercial exporters risks undermining the sustainability of the industry.

To minimize this risk, it is important to broaden the range of producers involved in export horticulture without compromising food safety, social and working conditions, environmental integrity and economic viability. Essentially, what the smallholder needs to know (and be trained to deal with) are the customer/exporters' main environmental, social and economic concerns. There are also certain other socio-economic issues not covered by codes of practice, which should be taken into account when working with smallholders.