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
Remote Closure of Non-Conformities Policy
This policy seeks to define under which circumstances a Certification Body (CB) is required to perform an onsite follow up audit to verify closure of nonconformities.
Annex S10: Living Wage Benchmarks per Country – List
The list of living wage benchmarks per country as part of Annex S10: Living Wage Benchmarks per Country – Methodology. The benchmarks are indicated in local currency, in gross wage per month, If no Living Wage Benchmark is yet available, the applicable wage can be used. This table is updated when new or updated benchmarks […]
Going Climate Smart with Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee and the Rainforest Alliance designed a pilot study to measure the carbon footprint of Rainforest Alliance Certified farmers in Brazil, Colombia, and Honduras. This study sought to quantify carbon emissions from coffee production and processing, identify emission hotspots, and propose reduction pathways through the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices within Costa Coffee’s supply […]
Rainforest Alliance Guidance: License Renewal During No Audit Years
This Guidance document provides further information for Supply Chain Certificate Holders and Certification Bodies on license renewal during the No Audit years.
Auditing Rules
SA-R-GA-5 The Auditing Rules outline the requirements during the audit process and how the CBs and their auditors shall carry out the assessment of the standard. This document replaces Chapter 2 of the previous Certification and Auditing Rules.