Geographical Indications in Latin America Value Chains: A “branding from below” strategy or a mechanism excluding the poorest?

There are two parts in the study. The first provides the theoretical framework on GIs and other certification schemes run in Latin American countries involved in Global Value Chains. The second part is a case study on cheese-dairy Value Chains in Nicaragua and a GI initiative for a Nicaraguan cheese, Queso Chontaleño (QC), embedded in an International Value Chain. The findings of the research constitute a warning to policy makers dealing with GIs in Latin American countries: when traditional Value Chains tend to be isolated and lacking independent governance mechanisms, GIs, like other types of certification, can become factors of increased marginalization, unless they are supported by adequate rural policies and legislation as well as a concerted transfer of knowledge.