échapper au piège ??qualité–exclusion?? dans les indications géographiques?: réflexions sur le cas du poivre de Penja

摘要

The protection of geographical indications (GI) is considered in developing countries as a powerful tool for supporting origin products and for strengthening local agrifood production systems by improving farmers’ market access. GI protection may have several effects that go far beyond the fight against misuses of the geographical name and can stimulate a new organisation and functioning of the supply chain. Indeed, the GI protection requires an agreement of producers on a Code of practices that specifies the production area, the process and product characteristics, and on an appropriate control system. However, GI protection positive effects are often threatened, especially in the context of Southern countries, by what we call “quality–exclusion trap”. In fact, searching for a better product qualification can cause the exclusion of less empowered producers. On the contrary, when the Code of practices and the control systems are too flexible, the GI scheme may be inefficient. The paper aims to analyse how the GI quality–exclusion trap could be managed in order to improve market access for small producers. Empirical evidences come from the case of Penja pepper (Cameroon) that obtained the registration as GI in 2013 thus becoming the first protected GI in the African Intellectual Property Organization area. Results highlight that in order to involve less empowered actors and to guarantee equity and efficiency of the GI protection, a set of accompanying actions and policies is required. Crucial issues concern how to fill the gap between the current practices and the rules of the Code of practices, the choices about the control system, and the provision of some public goods and services allowing the weakest actors to benefit of the protected GI as well.