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
Guidance A: How to Use the Management Capacity Assessment Tool
The purpose of the Management Capacity Assessment Tool is for group management to evaluate the capacity and systems of the business in several key management areas. This document gives guidance on how to implement Annex 2.
Slide Deck: Banana Dialogue Convening Meeting
The Rainforest Alliance’s 2020 discussions with the banana sector around their new certification program was concluded by the convening meeting at the end of December, which included Rainforest Alliance leadership and Board Chair. In this meeting the Rainforest Alliance confirmed the vision and sustainability goals behind its new ambitious standard. The Rainforest Alliance summarized the […]
How We’re Working with the Banana Sector to Implement and Improve Our New Certification Program
The Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program is now published, but that doesn’t mean our work is done. We are continuing to actively seek feedback from farmers, companies, and other partners to make the program better and ensure smooth implementation on the ground. Find out what we’ve been doing with the banana sector and how their feedback helps us fine-tune the standard.... Continue Reading
One Step Further for the Well-being of Banana Workers
Our Standard for Sustainable Agriculture has guided farmers around the world to ensure the wellbeing and health of their workers and their families. One banana company, Jasafrut, is taking it a step further by ensuring mental health care, too.... Continue Reading
Synopsis of Stakeholder Feedback – The second round of the Public Consultation Feedback
From June 2019 – September 2019, the Rainforest Alliance hosted a public consultation survey to gain valuable feedback from various stakeholders.
Child Labor Toolkit Workbook
This workbook contains easy-to-use forms to support implementation of the actions to tackle child labor including stakeholder analysis, legal assessment, hazardous tasks assessment, risk guidance, management plan, monitoring tools, and remediation plan.