FAQ: 2020 Farm Requirements
A detailed FAQ about the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard Farm Requirements.... Continue Reading
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.... Continue Reading
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.... Continue Reading
Find An Authorized Certification Body
Rainforest Alliance certification is carried out by our authorized certification bodies. Find an authorized certification body in your county.... Continue Reading
All resources for Certification
Updated Annex S7: Improving our Integrated Pest Management Approach
As part of our commitment to gradually move towards crop-specific approaches by harmonizing science-based and field-based approaches, we are presenting changes to Annex S7: Pesticides Management.... Continue Reading
Does Rainforest Alliance Certification Guarantee a Minimum Price for Certified Crops?
Rainforest Alliance certification does not guarantee a minimum price for certified crops, but our 2020 Certification Program includes an important requirement for additional cash payments for certified crops.
Pricing is definitely an important part of certification, and while Rainforest Alliance Certified farms often generate higher prices for their crops, a system that focuses primarily on pricing disregards other critical elements that influence whether or not farmers can lift themselves out of...... Continue Reading
Does Rainforest Alliance Certification Require a Farm to Be Organic?
Rainforest Alliance Certified farms are not required to be organic.... Continue Reading
Does the Rainforest Alliance Accept Money from Companies that Produce or Sell Certified Agricultural or Forest Products?
We accept contributions from such companies through fees for certification, verification, and related services; sponsorship or other support of public events; or funding for educational, training, or outreach activities.... Continue Reading
Fee Catalogue for Certification Bodies
The Rainforest Fee Catalogue describes the fees applicable to Certification Bodies according to Section 1.6, Assurances Costs of the Rules for Certification Bodies.
Guidance and Methods for Child Labor and Forced Labor Sectoral Risk Maps
This document explains the method used to create the Rainforest Alliance’s risk maps on child labor and forced labor and provides an overview of how the indices per country and sector were calculated.