FAQ: 2020 Farm Requirements
A detailed FAQ about the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard Farm Requirements.
FAQs
Certification has had a huge impact in bringing sustainability to the forefront of business thinking, but it must continue to evolve to provide more value to farmers and companies and ensure that people and nature can thrive in harmony.
That's why the Rainforest Alliance launched its new Certification Program, which entered into force in July 2021. The Sustainable Agriculture Standard, along with its assurance and technology systems, are data-powered, and based on the principles of continuous improvement, risk-based assurance, contextualization, and shared responsibility. This is how we can deliver more value to the two million farmers and thousands of businesses that use Rainforest Alliance certification to drive more sustainable agricultural production and responsible supply chains.
At the heart of the Rainforest Alliance
The certification program is part of the Rainforest Alliance’s strategy to drive sustainability at scale in the sectors in which we operate through interconnected interventions supporting certification, tailored supply chain services, landscapes and communities, and advocacy.
What We're Working On
Strengthened Cocoa Certification Program
Key priorities of our cocoa strategy are assurance, shared responsibility, supply chain transparency, and profitability and resilience.
Risk Maps for Risk Management
How we have tailored the implementation and verification of standards requirements on child labor and forced labor to the risk exposure of each farm.
Shared Responsibility
Our shared responsibility approach aims to distribute benefits and costs of certification more evenly between farmers and companies.
Ready to Get Started?
Begin your journey of certification with the Rainforest Alliance.
Additional Resources
Early Feedback on the New Certification Program: Kyagalanyi Coffee Shares Their Implementation Experience
Find out what Ugandan coffee exporter, Kyagalanyi Coffee, had to say about the new program—from the improvements to the challenges.
Learnings from the Field: Finca Esmeralda and the Future of Certified Bananas
After teaming up for an early implementation pilot of our strengthened certification program, both Finca Esmeralda and the Rainforest Alliance took away learnings that will contribute to a more sustainable banana sector.
Find An Authorized Certification Body
Rainforest Alliance certification is carried out by our authorized certification bodies. Find an authorized certification body in your county.
All resources for Certification
Traceability Guidance
This document provides guidance on the traceability requirements in the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard. It also provides a complement to the Annex Chapter 2: Traceability.
General Guide for the Implementation of the Sustainable Agricultural Standard
SA-G-SD-1 This General Guide aims to assist Certificate Holders with the implementation of the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard by providing clarifications to interpret the requirements and the evidence required for compliance.
Herbs & Spices Program: Joint Rainforest Alliance and UEBT Certification
Learn more about the Rainforest Alliance and the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT)'s joint Herbs & Spices Program.... Continue Reading
Annex S03: Risk Assessment Tool
SA-S-SD-4 As outlined in the requirements of the 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard, certificate holders must conduct a risk assessment. The risk assessment tool is available for group and individually certified farm management as well as supply chain actors who have social topics in their scope. The tool helps to identify risks that could prevent the […]
Exception to use Fipronil, Imidacloprid, Thiamethoxan, Spirodiclofen, and Glufosinate Ammonium for the Citrus Sector in Brazil
Rainforest Alliance has included the use of Fipronil, Imidacloprid, Thiamethoxan, Spirodiclofen And Glufosinate Ammonium in its list of prohibited pesticides; however, we have granted temporary authorization to the Brazil citrus sector to use these substances, while viable alternatives are identified. These authorizations are conditioned to be used within the strategy of Integrated Pest Management, in […]