Health as an emerging value in the construction of quality of berries in Huelva (Spain)

Abstract

This article examines how health is constructed as an emerging value of quality standards in intensive agriculture in the province of Huelva (Spain) with a specific focus on the health and welfare of female seasonal migrant workers. Based on an ethnographic approach, the research draws on two sources: an analysis of Global G.A.P. quality standards documentation and qualitative in-depth interviews with four key social actors, including local producers, social and professional organisations, healthcare professionals and migrant women working on seasonal contracts. Drawing on theoretical contributions from convention theory and the socio-anthropological approach of political economy, the study identified imbalances between the meanings and practices around health and safety. Principally, the study concludes that norms established by quality standards focus almost exclusively on consumers’ health while neglecting the health costs and inequalities experienced by female agricultural workers.