Comparing corporate sustainability programmes, social entrepreneurship, and cooperatives in shaping farmers'...

The governance of sustainability in agri-food value chains has evolved beyond conventional certification strategies. Corporate sustainability programs, social enterprises, and cooperatives are key complementary or alternative strategies. However, their relative contributions to farmers' well-being remain unclear. Therefore, we conducted a household survey of 634 cocoa and coffee farmers distributed across three production hotspots in the Peruvian Amazon. We use the Personal Well-being Index to compare well-being among and between farmers involved in the various strategies. Results show that farmers engaged in any strategy of sustainability governance report higher well-being than independent farmers. However, only social enterprise strategies remained a significant contributor to overall farmers' well-being after controlling for certification, context, household, and demographic variables. Our findings challenge traditional productivity centered approaches and emphasize the importance of incorporating localized, socially tailored strategies to enhance the well-being of farmers within agri-food value chains.