The effect of Geographical Indications on Economic Development

Abstract

The understanding of a Geographical Indication (GI), under an economic point of view, is connected to a strategy that aims at adding value to products or services whose characteristics are related to the territories in which they are inserted, with the premise of strengthening territorial economies, mainly in rural areas. GIs associated to agri-food products not only add value to these products, but also aim at providing easier access to either internal and/or external markets, promoting the inclusion of rural producers or disfavored regions in terms of commercial trade routes, besides contributing to the sustainable use of biodiversity and, consequently, of local genetic resources. Therefore, this work aims at providing an overview of the main scientific works regarding Geographical Indications (GIs) focused on the development of regional economies, especially in rural areas, considering in natura products. The methodology employed consisted of carrying out a systematic literature review on Scopus, Web of Science and Science Direct databases, based on a sequence of themes (Geographical Indication, Economic Development, Brazilian products in natura). Therefore, it was necessary to select the scientific articles corresponding to the combination of keywords, while also considering those works published in the last 10 years and with a score higher than 25 points, according to the criteria adopted in this work. The results of this research demonstrate the importance of GIs for promoting local economic development, through production and local services, adding value to the agri-food market and to its capacity in generating jobs and wealth.