Abstract

Agrifood systems face increasing pressure to deliver economic viability, environmental sustainability, and improved nutrition under growing climate vulnerability. These challenges are particularly acute in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where structural constraints limit productivity-led transformation and exposure to external shocks heightens food and nutrition insecurity risks. In such contexts, strategies that emphasize quality rather than quantity - such as participation in organic certification schemes - are promoted as pathways to integrate smallholders into global markets while supporting rural development. Yet rigorous evidence on their food and nutrition security impacts remains limited, especially for SIDS.
This study evaluates the effects of participation in an organic-certified cocoa value chain project in São Tomé and Príncipe on dietary diversity and food security of small-scale farmers. Using ex-post quasi-experimental data, the study investigates the pathways through which organic certification impacts smallholder livelihoods, with a focus on dietary diversity and food security.
Findings reveal that organic certification enhances household dietary diversity and reduces food insecurity, primarily through increased income from crop sales rather than crop diversification and increased home consumption. Improvements in dietary diversity extend beyond direct beneficiaries, suggesting positive spillover effects within communities, whereas reductions in food insecurity are concentrated among participating households. Furthermore, households managed by women exhibited stronger gains in food security and dietary diversity, highlighting the importance of gender dynamics. This study contributes to the limited literature on the nexus between sustainability certifications and food security, offering evidence from a highly vulnerable context where data and research are scarce.