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Initiatives
The Rainforest Alliance works with other nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies and government entities on projects and consortiums related to standards and international policies on certification, accreditation, trade, labor and environmental issues. Biodiversity Conservation in CoffeeBecause of coffee's global economic importance and its potential as a conservation tool, the Global Environment Facility through the United Nations Development Programme has provided the Rainforest Alliance with a seven-year grant to certify 10% of the world's coffee supply.
The Global Environment Facility funds go towards both increasing production and increasing demand for Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee. To increase demand, the Rainforest Alliance is undertaking a concerted marketing effort in collaboration with coffee companies all along the supply chain, encouraging them to buy certified coffee and helping them to promote it using the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal. On the ground, the Rainforest Alliance is providing Latin American farmers with the information and tools necessary to improve their management practices and make them more responsible with regards to the environment, workers and communities. Consultancy and Research for Environmental Management
The Rainforest Alliance and Consultancy and Research for Environmental Management (CREM), a sustainable development organization based in the Netherlands, established a partnership inspired by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. As a result of this partnership, the two organizations agreed to involve each other in projects and other activities. In addition, CREM committed itself to promote Rainforest Alliance products and activities in Europe and to providing consultancy services to the Rainforest Alliance. Read about how CREM and our Sustainable Tourism Program are collaborating. Indigenous Cocoa Farmers in Costa Rica Earn Funds for Environmental ServicesThe Rainforest Alliance is participating in a World Bank-funded project to help indigenous cocoa farmers in Costa Rica's Talamanca mountains earn additional income for the carbon dioxide that is stored in the trees on their farms. Sequestering CO2 helps moderate global warming and is a valuable environmental service that farmers provide to the rest of us. Forested farms also protect watersheds and biodiversity. In Costa Rica farmers can receive payment for these environmental services. The Rainforest Alliance is a subcontractor to the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Invesigación y Enseñanza, which is managing the project on behalf of Costa Rica's Ministry of the Environment and Energy. Local leaders were closely involved in designing the project and will help to implement it. The Rainforest Alliance's role is to design a simple yet scientifically solid way to measure and monitor the CO2 stored on cocoa farms. We will provide training to local communities in managing information about their "carbon farms," developing carbon marketing strategies, and negotiating with potential carbon buyers. The experiences and lessons learned will be shared with other cocoa producers in Central America and the market mechanisms developed, if successful, will be replicated by them and other small-scale producers in the region. Integrated Pest Management Education in the Tropics: Dissemination of Best PracticesWith generous support from the National Foundation for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Education, the Rainforest Alliance has incorporated IPM based on the techniques of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) into comprehensive guidelines for the sustainable production of cacao, citrus, flowers and ferns; and has created full IPM manuals for coffee and bananas. Throughout this process, workshops were held with stakeholders (certification auditors, extensionists, and producers) to develop and field test the IPM guidelines. This project was aimed at widely disseminating the new IPM guidelines and manuals to small farmers throughout the tropics. To ensure that small producers have access to IPM techniques, the Sustainable Agriculture Network (a coalition of non-profit conservation organizations in Latin America for which the Rainforest Alliance is the international secretariat) trained over 15 auditors. Producers receive comprehensive information and training on IPM techniques, via simple Web-based tools and local outreach workshops. The Rainforest Alliance incorporated the IPM guidelines into the SAN’s new “whole farm certification” strategy and field tested these standards on an integrated coffee/fern farm. Funding is being sought for further tests and auditor training. To read more about the EPA’s IPM tools and technique, visit: www.epa.gov/pesticides/food/ipm.htm. International Social and Environmental Accreditation Labeling (ISEAL)
ISEAL members, Rainforest Alliance included, are collaborating in order to gain international recognition and legitimacy for their programs; to improve the quality and professionalism of their respective organizations; and to defend the common interests of international accreditation organizations while demonstrating the openness and transparency of operations that ISEAL members believe is fundamental to their integrity. The standards, certification programs and accreditation systems being developed by ISEAL members, are all global in nature and reflect a worldwide concern for the social and environmental issues being promoted. This collaboration represents a significant movement to promote the interests of workers, communities and the environment in world trade. To read more about this alliance visit: www.isealalliance.org. Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign
The Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign strives to protect habitat for resident and migratory birds in Latin America and the Caribbean by increasing consumer demand for shade-grown coffee. From Mexico to Colombia, coffee plantation forests often provide the last refuge for birds that have lost their habitat to the vast destruction of tropical forests. In cooperation with coffee importers, roasters and retailers, the NW Shade Coffee Campaign is building a viable market for shade-grown coffee by promoting member companies who sell shade coffee and by educating consumers. The Campaign makes it easier to find shade coffee and also works with partners like Rainforest Alliance to assure that certification standards prioritize environmental protection. Social Accountability in Sustainable Agriculture (SASA)
The Sustainable Agriculture Network, Fairtrade Labelling Organization International, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and Social Accountability International have come together to investigate how best to ensure broad-based social accountability in agriculture. For more information: www.isealalliance.org/sasa/
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