With generous support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rainforest Alliance and partner groups will share sustainable farming techniques with thousands of African farmers.

We'll work with the Sustainable Food Lab (SFL) and other organizations, both local and international, to build capacity among small farmers in Ethiopia, Cote d'Ivoire and Kenya improve the way they cultivate crops like cocoa, bananas, vegetables, and dried beans.

The SFL, an international nonprofit organization focusing on sustainable value chains, has a knack for bringing NGOs, companies, farmer cooperatives, and other stakeholders together to develop innovative programs that increase the sustainability of the world's food system. 

Together, we will foster business relations between the farmers and the multinational companies interested in purchasing these crops -- with the goal of improving farmers' livelihoods and promoting the worldwide growth of sustainable agriculture.

Additional project partners include the International Institute for Environment and Development, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Counterpart International and Catholic Relief Services.

Two leading international organizations -- the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) -- are backing the Rainforest Alliance's efforts to promote sustainability on coffee farms and throughout the coffee supply chain. Andrew Bovarnick, UNDP's natural resource economist, spoke with us about the importance of sustainability in coffee growing and why both organizations have chosen to support our program. Read the interview.

Our efforts to increase the number of sustainable flower and fern farms in Latin America recently got a boost when Plantas y Flores Ornamentales Cabh Sa, a leading Costa Rican producer of tropical flowers and fresh ferns, earned Rainforest Alliance certification.

Based in San Jose, Plantas y Flores cultivates flowers, ferns and lilies in three regions of the country, exporting close to 500,000 boxes (4,500 tons) of flowers each year to the US and Canada for the "special occasion" flower market. The company uses innovative methods to minimize chemical use and protect the environment: 

• The use of chemicals on its farms is strictly controlled, and farmers also use biologically-derived products.
  
  
• On one farm, native tree species -- such as almond and bay leaf trees -- are planted alongside the flowers. In the farm's processing plant, residuals from the trees are mulched to create organic compost.
  
  
• The company is developing a pest control system using vegetable barriers -- plants that carry a natural resistance to certain insects.

Flower producers elsewhere in Latin America are also obtaining certification. Farms of the company The Elite Flower, a member of the Association of Colombian Flower Growers and Exporters (ASOCOLFLORES), was certified in November 2007, a first for that country. Elite exports roses and other flowers mainly to the United States, Europe and Russia.

Other countries with certified flower and foliage producers include Mexico, Guatemala and Ecuador. Their combined acreage helped increase the Rainforest Alliance's total area of certified flower farms around the world to 2,755 acres (1,115 hectares) in 2007.

Rainforest Alliance Certified™ products have recently been mentioned in a wide variety of publications around the world, including:

"Panamanian Pineapple Obtains International Certification," Fresh Plaza (The Netherlands)
"Land Security Leading to Food Security in Guatemala," New Agriculturist
"Kenco back on TV for Pure Range," Talking Retail (UK)
"Asiana Offers High Quality In-Flight Meals," Korea Times
"Keeping it Fresh," Hotel F & B
"Time to Brew Up a Sustainable Cuppa," The Independent (UK)
"First Choice Coffee Grand Café 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified -- Award Winner" and "First Choice Coffee is the Ethical Choice," Caterer & Hotelkeeper
"Unilever Stirs Pot with Sustainable Tea Programme," The New Zealand Herald

Frog Spotting: The Latest Certified Offerings

The little green frog keeps on hopping around the globe!

In the US, Kopali Organics, in partnership with the Whole Trade guarantee program, offers Rainforest Alliance Certified dried mangos -- available in Whole Foods Markets across the country -- prominently boasting the frog seal. Whole Foods also promotes the green frog on their private label 365 Orange Juice, from oranges grown on Del Oro certified farms in Costa Rica.  And Zabar's, the famed New York City gourmet grocery store, has started offering Rainforest Alliance Certified Colombian coffees.

In Europe, the frog has begun appearing on coffee served in the hotel rooms and restaurants of the UK's leading hotel company, Thistle Hotels. He can also be spotted on Norwegian McDonald's coffee cups, in Greece on Jacobs Espresso coffee and in Sweden on Gevalia Mastro Lorenzo coffee. The frog can also be found cruising on Ireland's Aer Arann international flights. And in the UK, he hopped on innocent Drinks smoothie TV commercials starring Rainforest Alliance Certified bananas -- and congratulations to First Choice Coffee whose Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee won the award for excellence in food and drinks (hot beverage category) in Caterer & Hotelkeeper Magazine!

In Japan, Key Coffee launched a dual certified Organic and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee, while UCC promoted 100 percent Rainforest Alliance Certified single estate Brazilian and Guatemalan coffee. The frog has been quite busy!

New Use of Seal Guidelines Available

Now that we've launched our fresher, bolder new seal, we've also updated our Use of Seal Guidelines. Log into the Rainforest Alliance Certified Marketplace and go to the Use of Seal tab to download the new English version (watch for Spanish and Japanese versions coming soon).  We've also strengthened the guidelines for composite or multi-ingredient products, and added a handy checklist to help marketers ensure that their materials meet the guidelines. Feel free to contact us at RAC@ra.org with any questions.

The Rainforest Alliance Certified Marketplace has introduced another important new feature: an Offers option, with which coffee companies can post availability of their Rainforest Alliance Certified coffees.

Under Traceability select My Offers and click on New Offer to announce the certified coffees you have available for sale. Your offer will be posted on Marketplace to help attract potential customers!

Send free Rainforest Alliance eCards!

Farm to Market is a quarterly publication from the Rainforest Alliance.

Subscribe to Farm to Market.

Email the editor. (Send us news or comments, sign up a friend, fix subscription problems.)

To prevent mailbox filters from blocking issues of Farm to Market, add farm_market@ra.org to your address book.

Review our privacy policy.

Please forward this issue to industry colleagues and partners so they too can stay informed.

The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.

Rainforest Alliance
665 Broadway, Suite 500, New York, NY 10012
Telephone: (212) 677-1900 - Fax: (212) 677-2187
info@ra.org

© 2008 Rainforest Alliance