Commodity Chains

A commodity chain is a series of links connecting the multiple, cross-border stages of production, processing, exchange, and distribution along which goods travel in the global economy. In other words, it is the path a commodity follows from the point of production to the point of consumption. Global capitalism has fostered an increasingly industrialized food system in [Page 259]which agrifood commodities, or those foods and drinks produced through agriculture, traverse the globe on their way to consumers’ plates. Consequently, commodity chain analysis is a powerful tool for exploring the creation of value in our interconnected world and the implications this has for labor and environmental processes in diverse contexts. The strength of the commodity chain approach results from its ability to capture the entire structure ...