This paper examines how certified organic cotton initiatives (COCIs) influence community capitals in rural Peru, Tanzania and India using the community capitals framework (CCF). Case study analyses, including qualitative interviews of farmers, expert interviews and participatory observations, were conducted in Northern Peru, Northern Tanzania and Eastern India. The results show slight changes in community capitals in Peru, while comprehensive changes and spiraling-up effects were triggered by certified organic cotton farming initiatives in Tanzania and India. These community developments strongly depended on set measures, such as the extent of (1) partnership (e.g., contract farming), (2) input support (e.g., seeds, loans, community infrastructure), (3) capacity building (through training and advisory services), (4) group formation and (5) formation of cooperatives. Favorable environmental conditions and supporting local institutions facilitated spiraling-up effects, while social preconditions (e.g., gender inequality) strongly limited these effects. The research showed that COCIs have considerable potential to trigger spiraling-up effects in rural communities. However, the capacity strongly depends on the respective initiative and its ability to involve and empower farmers, i.e., to build up human and social capital.

中文翻译：

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通过认证有机棉倡议实现社区转型——秘鲁、坦桑尼亚和印度案例研究分析

本文利用社区资本框架 (CCF) 探讨了经认证的有机棉倡议 (COCI) 如何影响秘鲁、坦桑尼亚和印度农村的社区资本。在秘鲁北部、坦桑尼亚北部和印度东部进行了案例研究分析，包括对农民的定性访谈、专家访谈和参与式观察。结果显示秘鲁的社区资本发生了轻微变化，而坦桑尼亚和印度的认证有机棉花种植计划引发了全面的变化和螺旋式上升的影响。这些社区发展在很大程度上取决于既定措施，例如（1）合作程度（例如，合同农业），（2）投入支持（例如，种子、贷款、社区基础设施），（3）能力建设（通过培训和咨询服务），(4) 组建集团和 (5) 组建合作社。有利的环境条件和支持地方机构促进了螺旋式上升的影响，而社会先决条件（例如，性别不平等）极大地限制了这些影响。研究表明，COCI 具有在农村社区引发螺旋式上升效应的巨大潜力。然而，能力在很大程度上取决于各自的倡议及其让农民参与和赋权的能力，即建立人力和社会资本。