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
Rainforest Alliance Has a New Certification Standard
Treehugger spoke to Ruth Rennie, Rainforest Alliance's director of standards and assurances, for an in-depth look at what the new standard brings to the world of sustainable and ethical agriculture.
The Rainforest Alliance Responds to Allegations of Human Rights Violations on Certified Tea Estates in Malawi
We take these allegations very seriously and condemn any violations of human rights which are shown to take place on Rainforest Alliance Certified operations.... Continue Reading
Herbs & Spices Program Decision Tree
The Rainforest Alliance and the Union for Ethical BioTrade have developed a new joint Herbs & Spices Program. This decision tree helps farms that have certified herbs, spices, rooibos or other herbal tea ingredients under previous Rainforest Alliance or UTZ programs to identify which standard applies for them under the new program.
Sustainability Differential and Sustainability Investments: Cocoa Sector Guidance
The general principles of the Sustainability Differential (SD) and Sustainability Investment (SI) requirements are applicable to all sectors. But as sectors work differently, sector- specific implementation guidance is needed. This document explains how the Sustainability Differential and Sustainability Investment requirements are implemented in the cocoa sector.
Indicator and Monitoring Framework
The Rainforest Alliance Indicator and monitoring framework for the 2020 Certification Program gives a complete overview of the level one and level two indicators that we use to measure the impact of our work. These indicators are the expression of our Theory of Change.
Theory of Change
This diagram presents our organization’s intended outcomes and impacts and describes the mechanisms through which we aim to achieve them. It shows the different and interconnected ways in which the Rainforest Alliance’s 2020 Certification Program components interact to promote change both in the short and in the medium and long term. It illustrates how the […]