Geographical Indications (GI) Tagged Agricultural Commodities: Global Status and Local Impacts on Competitiveness, Resilient Food Systems and Sustainable Livelihoods

Geographical Indications (GI) represent a unique intersection of agricultural heritage, territorial identity, economic opportunity, and sustainability. GI-tagged agricultural commodities and food and beverage products—such as Basmati rice, Darjeeling tea, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Blue Mountain coffee—embody centuries of traditional knowledge and link communities to global markets. As consumer demand for authenticity, quality, and sustainability grows, GI-labeled agricultural products are gaining unprecedented recognition and economic value in the global context, with significant implications for the growth and prosperity of local and regional economies and societies.

With increasing climate and market uncertainties, however, the growth and expansion of GI-tagged commodities present complex challenges and opportunities in the emerging global context. There are also other important concerns, such as: protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs), balancing commercialization with cultural preservation and ecological restoration, ensuring equitable benefits for producers, consumers, society as well as the planet, integrating domestic branding with global marketing and value chains, and aligning GI systems with broader sustainability and food security goals. Addressing these concerns requires rigorous research that goes beyond description to provide integrated, analytical, and impact-oriented insights on how GIs contribute to sustainable food systems, rural livelihoods, and ecosystem integrity.

This special issue seeks to bring together interdisciplinary scholarship by inviting original research articles and empirical case studies from across the globe. The aim is to deepen our understanding of the value of GI-tagged agricultural commodities, their role in shaping sustainable food systems and in supporting ecosystem integrity.

Submissions may address (but are not limited to) the following topics:

• GI Expansion and Economic Resilience: Dynamics of area, production, and livelihoods associated with GI commodities; assessment of economic, social, cultural, and environmental outcomes.
• Equity, Rural Development, and Food Security: The role of GIs in supporting smallholders and marginalized producers, distributing benefits, and advancing sustainable livelihoods.
• Supply Chain Integration and Market Innovation: Strategies to leverage GIs for value addition, branding, and exports, while integrating domestic and global agri-food supply chains. This includes adopting technological innovations such as blockchain-based traceability, IoT, digital verification systems, and AI-driven market analytics, along with advanced approaches to network design, logistics, inventory management, and supply chain risk management.
• Legal Protection, Certification, and Governance: Effectiveness of IPR enforcement, certification models, institutional governance, and responses to misuse or imitation of GIs.
• Sustainability and Ecosystem Services: Impact of GI registration on protection of biodiversity, resource use efficiency, climate resilience, and alignment with the SDGs.
• Innovation, Diversification, and Knowledge Systems: New forms of product, process, or organizational innovation—including the integration of traditional knowledge with digital technologies—to enhance the quality, sustainability, and competitiveness of GI commodities.
• Policy Frameworks and Cross-Learning: Comparative analyses of policy instruments, institutional frameworks, and lessons from different regions or sectors.

To highlight the global breadth and significance of GI systems, eligible products include a rich array of agricultural goods such as Basmati rice, Koshihikari rice, Emmer wheat, Darjeeling tea, Blue Mountain coffee, Alphonso mango, Kalamata olive, Vidalia onion, Parmigiano Reggiano, Roquefort, Feta, Prosciutto di Parma, Kobe beef, Scottish salmon, Kampot pepper, Saffron of La Mancha, Belgian chocolate, Turkish delight, Champagne, Tequila, and Scotch whisky, among others. This non-exhaustive selection illustrates the diversity of GI commodities that may serve as case studies for analytical research within the themes outlined above.

Keywords: Geographical Indications, Sustainable Food Systems, Rural Livelihoods, Value Chains, Intellectual Property Rights

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.