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January 2010: RAINFOREST ALLIANCE

Steps to Sustainability

With more than 25 million people in the tropics depending on coffee production for their livelihood and over 6 million acres of land used to grow and harvest tea leaves, the beverage industry, from farmers to retailers, can lead the way toward improving the lives of people and ecosystems in developing countries.  Rainforest Alliance certification is a comprehensive process that promotes and guarantees such improvements in agriculture and forestry.

The Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal ensures that goods and services were produced in compliance with rigorous guidelines that help protect the environment, wildlife, workers and local communities. The agricultural standards were developed by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), a coalition of non profit conservation organizations in Latin America and the standards’ criteria are based on 3 pillars of sustainability, which provide environmental, social and economic benefits.

With the focus on sustainability of the land and its use, the Rainforest Alliance does not certify products or companies but rather production units or farms - from small family farms to plantations owned by large international corporations. Companies such as coffee roasters, tea distributors and retailers, for their part, can leverage their purchases to encourage their suppliers to seek certification.

Certification may also be extended to groups of farms, such as cooperatives, producers’ associations and groups of suppliers linked to export companies. These farms may grow one or more of the 100+ crops covered by the SAN standards, including coffee, tea, cocoa, fruits, flowers, and other farm products. The process is voluntary and begins with the preparation of the farm to comply with the sustainable agriculture criteria outlined below.

Ten Principles of Sustainable Agriculture

The 10 principles of sustainable agriculture, on which the SAN’s Sustainable Agriculture Standard is based, show producers how to manage their farms sustainably and how to minimize or eliminate long term negative impacts on natural resources.

1. Management System
The certification program helps farmers to organize, plan, schedule improvements, implement better practices, identify problems and monitor progress. Farm documents such as maps and records of corrective actions implemented should be accessible and well organized.

2. Ecosystem Conservation
Carbon sequestration, crop pollination and pest control are some of the services provided by natural ecosystems on farms. Rainforest Alliancecertification requires farms to protect ecosystems or carry out activities to restore them.

3. Wildlife Protection
Wildlife habitat is protected with curbed deforestation and buffer zones for waterways. Certified farms provide a refuge for all types of fauna, including endangered species, hunting is also prohibited and the capture of wild animals must be eventually eliminated, despite the fact that this practice is traditional to many cultures.

4. Water Conservation
All sources of water contamination (pesticides and fertilizers, sediment, wastewaters, garbage, fuels and so on) are controlled, and conservation measures are applied in washing and packing stations, housing areas and irrigation. Farms must promote sound water use with the best technology and resources available, including measures such as recirculation, an inventory of surface and ground water sources and annual records of the amount of water consumed.

5. Workers’ Rights
Farm workers must be provided decent wages and housing, clean drinking water, sanitary facilities and a safe work area. Workers and their families must have access to schools, health care, transportation and training.  Workers have the right to unionize and enjoy reasonable working hours, rest periods, vacations, bonuses and all the benefits stipulated in their national legislation.

6. Occupational Health and Safety
All workers must receive training on how to do their work safely, especially with regard to the use of machinery, heavy equipment and agrochemicals. Farm administrators must provide the necessary equipment to protect workers and ensure that the farm’s infrastructure, machinery and work tools are in good condition and do not pose danger to human health or the environment.

7. Community Relations
Certified farms consult with and respect surrounding communities and local interest groups. Priority must be given to hiring and training local workers and to contracting and acquiring local services and products.  Also, farms should contribute to the conservation of the community’s natural resources and contribute fairly towards the costs of local infrastructure, such as schools, roads and aqueducts.

8. Integrated Crop Management
To reduce the risks and effects of pest infestations, farms give preference to biological, physical, mechanical and cultural methods to control harmful insects, plants, animals and microbes. Certified farms reduce and strictly limit the use of chemical products through integrated crop management, and must eliminate all prohibited chemicals. Farms must carefully record and monitor the use and purchase of all agrochemicals.

9. Soil Conservation
Certified farms must prevent and control erosion by using techniques such as windbreaks, vegetative ground cover and run-off channels to reduce soil loss and the negative impacts on water bodies. Farms must also implement a fertilization program based on the needs of different crops and on the soil characteristics, giving priority to organic fertilization using residues generated by the farm. Burning to prepare land for crops is not permitted.

10. Waste Management
Rainforest Alliance Certified farms produce less waste as farm byproducts like banana stems, coffee pulp, orange peels and unmarketable foliage, which are composted and returned to the fields as natural fertilizer. Other wastes, such as plastics, glass and metals are recycled where possible.

Towards certification

The Rainforest Alliance certification process is both straightforward and thorough. Farmers first review the Sustainable Agriculture Standard outlined briefly above (the complete Standard is available online at www.rainforest-alliance.org/agriculture) to see how well their farms comply with the 200+ criteria.  When a farmer is ready and requests for the certification, the farm is audited and a field assessment is completed. 

The audits themselves may only take a few days but are extremely rigorous, including inspection of the land and all facilities, interviews with workers and their families, reviews of documentation and meetings with farm managers and owners.  The audit results are then reviewed by the independent organization Sustainable Farm Certification (SFC) International, which decides whether or not to award certification and the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal. Certification is granted for 3 years though the farm is audited every year to ensure continued compliance and improvement. 

In this way, companies and consumers that buy goods with the green frog seal know that their coffee, tea, cocoa, fruits, flowers or other products were grown in a sustainable way, respecting both the land and the people who produced them.

If you or your suppliers are interested in becoming certified or in receiving further information, please contact the SAN partners authorized for these services, listed online at www.sustainablefarmcert.com

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