Figure 1
Levers and leverage points for pathways to sustainability.
Source: Chan et al. (2020).
Figure 2
Map of the cocoa and chocolate value chain in the Ucayali region.
Source: Adapted from Ivanova et al. (2020).
Table 1
Leverage points in the cocoa chain. Source: Workshop Ucayali, October 2024.
| CATEGORY | LEVERAGE POINT | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|---|
| Visions of a Good Life | Regional policy on good living as a component in investment projects | This leverage point aims to reshape societal values by integrating the concept of “good living” into regional policies, promoting sustainable and equitable ideals. It addresses the challenge of a lack of understanding of good living. |
| Total Consumption and Waste | Diversification of products for markets (International, national, regional), economic incentives | Encourages systemic changes in production patterns to reduce waste and promote sustainability, addressing limited market access by aligning with sustainable practices. |
| Reforestation program | Aims to restore ecological balance and reduce wasteful land use practices, tackling deforestation challenges by promoting ecological restoration. | |
| Sustainable land use | Promote sustainable land use and reduce monoculture impacts, addressing soil degradation and biodiversity loss by integrating diverse agricultural practices (e.g. through Agroforestry Systems and Agrosilvopastoral Systems). | |
| Ecological production | Reduces pollution and waste from agrochemical use, promoting sustainable practices and responding to pollution challenges. | |
| Latent Values of Responsibility Inequalities | Preventive campaigns (Awareness and anti-corruption) | Encourage responsible behaviour and foster a culture of stewardship and accountability, addressing inadequate state control and oversight by promoting transparency and ethical practices. |
| Environmental education | Instils values of responsibility and promotes long-term behavioural change, targeting droughts and environmental degradation by educating communities on sustainable practices. | |
| Inequalities | Appropriate financing from the National Government and regional Government | Addresses financial inequalities by providing access to necessary resources, tackling limited access to financing and ensuring equitable economic participation. |
| Facilitate business formalisation | Supports entrepreneurs and equitable economic participation, addressing the cumbersome process of business formalisation (e.g. through roadmaps for entrepreneurs). | |
| Training professionals | Enhances capacities and skills, promoting inclusivity and fairness, responding to the lack of development in human resources. | |
| Justice and Inclusion in Conservation | Regulations for forest fires and illegal hunting | Ensure conservation efforts are just and culturally appropriate, addressing deforestation and illegal activities by promoting fair conservation practices. |
| Alternative crops and regulations for illegal hunting | Promote inclusive conservation practices, targeting illicit crop cultivation and hunting by providing sustainable alternatives and enforcing regulations. | |
| Externalities from Trade and Other Telecouplings | Implement geolocation traceability systems, blockchain systems, market requirements (such as the EU Deforestation Regulation) | Addresses externalities by ensuring traceability and responsible trade practices, tackling the lack of traceability in production and ensuring sustainable and ethical global trade practices. |
| Responsible Technology, Innovation, and Investment | Research packages, technologies, validation of the package, certification (IIAP, INIA, CITES) | Supports sustainable technological advancements and investments, addressing the limited availability of native seeds and biodiversity by promoting research and innovation. |
| Transformation of wastewater discharge | Promotes innovative solutions to reduce environmental impact, tackling the challenge of wastewater discharge and ensuring environmentally friendly industrial processes. | |
| Education and Knowledge Generation and Sharing | State intervention and investment in research, communication, and community socialisation | Fosters knowledge generation and sharing to support sustainable development, addressing the lack of education about biodiversity resources and promoting informed and sustainable consumption habits. |
Figure 3
Map of the value chain of gold mined in Ghana.
Source: Authors’ own elaboration.
Table 2
Leverage points in the ASM gold chain. Source: Workshop Kumasi, November 2023.
| CATEGORY | LEVERAGE POINT | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|---|
| Visions of a Good Life | Creation of job opportunities (esp. for the youth) | This leverage point reshapes societal values by promoting economic empowerment and reducing dependency on unsustainable practices. It addresses challenges like poverty and labour shortages by providing stable employment and enhancing well-being. |
| Community education on the need to conserve forests | By fostering community understanding of forest conservation, this leverage point helps redefine societal aspirations towards ecological balance and sustainability, addressing challenges such as habitat destruction and wildlife preservation. | |
| Total Consumption and Waste | Mechanise agriculture, intensification/precision agriculture | These practices aim to reduce waste and improve efficiency in agricultural production, addressing challenges like food insecurity and crop failure by aligning with circular economy principles. |
| Enforcement of waste and management laws | This leverage point targets the reduction of waste through better management practices, addressing issues like pollution and land degradation, thereby decreasing ecological footprints. | |
| Latent Values of Responsibility | Training miners on best practices that are environmentally friendly | Encourages the adoption of responsible mining practices, fostering a culture of environmental stewardship and addressing challenges like land degradation and water pollution. |
| Awareness raising in schools | Promotes values of responsibility by educating young people on sustainable practices and the importance of environmental conservation, tackling social challenges related to mining such as drug abuse and vulnerability to disease outbreaks. | |
| Inequalities | Alternative livelihoods | Provides diverse economic opportunities, addressing inequalities by reducing overdependence on natural resources and promoting inclusive economic participation, tackling challenges like poverty and labour shortages. |
| Build capacity in institutions for transparency and accountability | Enhances institutional capacities to address corruption and promote fairness, tackling social inequalities and ensuring that all members of society can engage in sustainable practices. | |
| Justice and Inclusion in Conservation | Enforcement of buffer zone policies | Ensures conservation efforts are just and protect critical habitats, involving local communities in sustainable land management and addressing challenges like habitat destruction and illegal mining. |
| Prosecution of illegal operators | Promotes justice by holding violators accountable and protecting community resources, addressing challenges like illegal mining and deforestation. | |
| Externalities from Trade and Other Telecouplings | Promote aquaculture | Addresses the externalities of water pollution and overfishing by providing sustainable alternatives that reduce pressure on wild fish stocks, tackling challenges like degraded fisheries and food insecurity. |
| Ban mining near rivers and streams | Mitigates negative environmental impacts, ensuring that local actions do not adversely affect distant ecosystems, addressing challenges like water pollution and land degradation. | |
| Responsible Technology, Innovation, and Investment | Increase climate finance for adaptation strategies | Supports investment in technologies and practices that enhance resilience to climate change, addressing challenges like lack of climate finance and promoting sustainability. |
| Provision of fire management, equipment for range officers | Invests in technologies and resources to manage and prevent wildfires, ensuring ecological integrity and addressing challenges like wildfires and habitat destruction. | |
| Education and Knowledge Generation and Sharing | Agricultural extension training | Provides farmers with knowledge and skills to adopt sustainable practices, ensuring informed decision-making and addressing challenges like lack of land resources for agriculture. |
| Build law enforcement capacities | Enhances knowledge and skills within law enforcement to effectively manage and protect environmental resources, addressing challenges like inadequate state control and enforcement. |
Figure 4
Map of the value chain of forest-based cultural products produced by Indigenous communities in Brazil.
Source: Adapted from TUCUM 2019, cited in Forest Trends, 2021.
Table 3
Table 3 Leverage points in the handicrafts value chain.
| CATEGORY | LEVERAGE POINT | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|---|
| Visions of a Good Life | Recognition of women as artisans, traders, and businesswomen | Reshapes societal values by promoting gender equality and recognising women’s economic contributions, challenging traditional roles. |
| Internal cultural strengthening | Aligns with redefining societal aspirations by valuing and preserving Indigenous culture, promoting pride in cultural heritage. | |
| Raising awareness about the work of women artisans | Shifts societal views towards appreciation and support of diverse roles, fostering a more inclusive vision of community success. | |
| Total Consumption and Waste | Planting of native species, seed collection program, and community nurseries | Reduces ecological footprints by promoting biodiversity and sustainable land use, aligning with circular economy practices. |
| Native plant rescue | Minimises ecological disturbance and supports sustainability by preserving native species, crucial for maintaining ecological balance. | |
| Reforestation | Helps restore ecological integrity and counteracts wasteful land-use practices, contributing to a sustainable environment. | |
| Latent Values of Responsibility | Awareness (general) | Fosters a culture of stewardship and accountability, motivating individuals and communities to act responsibly. |
| Payment for Environmental Services | Taps into values of responsibility by financially incentivising conservation efforts, encouraging responsible environmental management. | |
| Educational work in schools | Instils values of environmental and social responsibility in education, promoting long-term behavioural change and a culture of sustainability. | |
| Inequalities | Empowerment of Indigenous women | Addresses gender inequalities by empowering women with skills and opportunities, promoting inclusivity and fairness, e.g. through training women indigenous entrepreneurs. |
| Ensure a representative number of women in the statutes of organisations | Tackles systemic inequalities by ensuring women’s voices are heard and represented in decision-making processes. | |
| Empowerment of women to occupy spaces in general | Encourages women to take up leadership roles, addressing social inequalities and supporting a more equitable distribution of power. | |
| Justice and Inclusion in Conservation | Involvement of women in discussions about women’s work | Ensures conservation and development efforts are inclusive and equitable by involving all genders in discussions. |
| Mobilisation and state positioning to guarantee Free Priori and Informed Consent (FPIC) | Ensures Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, empowering Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, making conservation efforts more just and culturally appropriate. | |
| Externalities from Trade and Other Telecouplings | Partnership with shipping companies | Addresses externalities of trade by improving logistics and reducing negative impacts, ensuring fair trade practices. |
| Arrangements with customers about order shipping times | Minimises environmental impacts and promotes responsible consumption and trade practices by managing logistics effectively. | |
| Responsible Technology, Innovation, and Investment | Programs, projects, and policies that facilitate resources to invest in production | Supports ecological integrity and economic development by investing in sustainable production technologies. |
| Access to credit and craft-specific projects | Encourages innovation and responsible investment by providing financial resources for sustainable projects, aligning with sustainability goals. | |
| Education and Knowledge Generation and Sharing | Promote meetings/workshops to strengthen women’s groups | Fosters knowledge sharing and capacity building, essential for empowering communities to engage in sustainable practices. |
| Better understanding of the craft trade and actors involved | Enhances artisans’ ability to engage effectively in markets by educating them about trade dynamics, promoting sustainable economic practices. |
[i] Source: Workshop Rondônia, October 2024.