Monitoring & Evaluation

This study by COSA evaluated the performance on key sustainability indicators in the 2010 and 2012 cocoa production years for UTZ certified farmers in two districts in Ghana. The 2010 baseline of UTZ Certified farmers was taken before they became certified. The study was commissioned by UTZ Certified and Solidaridad to learn what aspects of […]

Smallholder tea farmers in Kenya are organized through the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), which works with farmers to produce, process and market high quality teas. KTDA promotes better tea production practices in order to help smallholder farmers increase production quantity and achieve certification–with the ultimate goal of strengthening existing tea markets and establishing new […]

Researchers commissioned by the Rainforest Alliance compared financial record keeping variables between Rainforest Alliance Certified farms and non-certified farms; they also surveyed social lenders and local, in-country financial institutions. The study established a common minimum set of metrics for producers to record/report in order to apply for credit, showed that certified producers are better at […]

This evaluation provides evidence on the effectiveness, appropriateness and relevance of the tea certification program in Malawi. The effectiveness of the program was assessed based on the following evaluation questions: To what extent have the activities led to the planned outputs? To what extent have the objectives (outcome level) of the program been realised as […]

This independent evaluation compared the situation of certified tea farmers in Kenya between 2010 and 201 and took into account external factors which could also have influenced the outcomes. The certification program in Kenya aims to improve sustainability in the tea sector and supports smallholder tea farmers to implement better farming and management practices, by […]

The report summarizes the results of four studies conducted by Cenicafe, a Colombian coffee research institute. Streams were found to be healthier on certified farms, and certified farmers implemented a variety of best management practices at a higher rate than their non-certified neighbors.