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
Rainforest Alliance has developed a QGIS risk assessment plugin to identify the risk of deforestation and encroachment into Protected Areas (PA) which could jeopardize compliance with the standard requirements and the expected sustainability outcomes. This guidance document will help CBs in China use QGIS to identify the risk of deforestation and encroachment into Protected Areas […]
Partner Update
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.
Organizational Updates
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.
All resources for Certification
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Guidance
Guidance on the QGIS RA Risk Assessment Tools
Rainforest Alliance has developed a QGIS risk assessment plugin to identify the risk of deforestation and encroachment into Protected Areas (PA) which could jeopardize compliance with the standard... View more
Explainers
The Universal Mill List
The UML is used across the palm industry and has become a trusted reference to identify mills as part of supply chain mapping and traceability.
Guidance
Guidance for Installing QGIS in OSGEO4W and Python
This guidance document will help CBs in China to install the QGIS so that the further assessment can be conducted through QGIS. QGIS is an open-source, user-friendly, and professional GIS application... View more
Explainers
The Rainforest Alliance Assurance System: Supporting Due Diligence across the Supply Chain
The Rainforest Alliance employs several tools for assurance to ensure that farms and businesses that participate in our program are fulfilling the relevant criteria. Read about them in this article.
One sheets
Rainforest Alliance Certification: A Crucial Step to EUDR Compliance
The race is on to meet the requirements of the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) by December 30, 2024—and certified coffee and cocoa companies can consider the Rainforest... View more