This article addresses the question of the behavioral effectiveness of standards by looking at how Voluntary Sustainability Standards work as incentives in the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices. We argue that they are effective because the institutions that are mobilized through a governance arrangement enable producers to be linked with multiple stakeholders who provide support for the adoption of sustainable practices. We illustrate how these governance arrangements are set up through a cross-examination of case studies on PGS that have been developed in six countries around the world (Bolivia, Colombia, India, Namibia, Philippines and Uganda). We explore which actors are involved in each case, how the problem of ‘unsustainability’ is framed in order to mobilize collective action, and the effectiveness of these approaches in terms of institutionalizing organic agriculture practices within the communities.