Providing a Path to More Resilient and Inclusive Agricultural Practices
The Sustainable Agriculture Standard, along with its assurance and technology systems, are designed to deliver more value to the more than four million farmers and workers and thousands of businesses that use Rainforest Alliance certification to drive more sustainable agricultural production and responsible supply chains.
See what’s newIf you have any questions, please contact us at customersuccess@ra.org. Certification Bodies can contact us at CBcert@ra.org.
Visit our contact page to find an office in your country.
Sustainable Agriculture Standard
Our agriculture standard is used in more than 70 countries around the globe. Our program focuses on coffee, cocoa, tea, bananas, and many other important commodity sectors facing urgent environmental and social challenges.
2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard: Farm Requirements
The Farm Requirements of our new Sustainable Agriculture Standard are designed to help farmers protect the landscapes where they live and work, while offering an enhanced framework to improve their livelihoods and advance the human rights of rural people.
Download2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard: Supply Chain Requirements
The Sustainable Agriculture Standard’s Supply Chain Requirements aim to foster transparency and responsible business practices among companies from farm to shelf.
DownloadKey Supporting Documents
Select the corresponding Sustainable Agriculture Standard chapter to find supporting documents for that section of the standard.
Forms and TemplatesBinding
Terms & ConditionsBinding
AnnexBinding
- Annex Chapter 1: Management (Previous Annex S17)
- Annex Chapter 2: Traceability (Previous Annex S06)
- Annex Chapter 3: Income and Shared Responsibility (Previous Annex S14)
- Annex Chapter 4: Farming (previous Annex S07)
- Annex Chapter 5: Social (Previous Annexes S04, S09, S10 and S11)
- Annex Chapter 6: Environment (Previous Annexes S12 and S15)
- Annex S01: Glossary
- Annex S02: Management Capacity Assessment Tool
- Annex S03: Risk Assessment Tool
- Annex S08: Salary Matrix Tool
- Annex S10: Living Wage Benchmarks per Country – List
- Annex S13: Group Member Registry
- Annex S16: Sustainability Investment Plan Template
- Rainforest Alliance Certified Crops
Policies and rulesBinding
- Adjusted Timelines for the Transition and Full Certification Cycles of the 2020 Rainforest Alliance Certification Program
- Exception Policy on Living Wage in Ecuador
- Exceptional Use Policy: Granted Exceptions and their Conditions for Using Rainforest Alliance Prohibited Pesticides
- Grievance Procedure
- Instructions for Cocoa Groups in Ghana, Côte D’Ivoire, Cameroon, and Nigeria on National Identification Requirements
- License Renewal During Rainforest Alliance Review Years
- No Double Selling Declaration
- Policy for Farm and Supply Chain Certification in Cocoa
- Policy for Geodata Collection and Analysis in China
- Policy for Rooibos Certification in South Africa
- Policy on Measures to Address Shortages of Rainforest Alliance Certified Volumes During the Certification Cycle
- Policy Water Permit Requirements Costa Rica
- Policy: Audits for Certificate Holders based in Brazil
- Policy: New Certificate Holders During the Transition Period For the 2020 Rainforest Alliance Certification Program
- Temporary Coffee Supply Shortage Policy
- The Investment Plan Template for the Tea Sector
GuidanceNot Binding
- Application of Triazoles for Control of Coffee Leaf Rust (Hemileia Vastatrix)
- Assess and Address Pledge
- Certification Application Form (CAF) Guidance Templates
- Checklist for Cocoa groups in West and Central Africa
- Explanation on the Geodata Validation and Risk Assessment Process
- General Guide for the Implementation of the Sustainable Agricultural Standard
- GeoPDF Guidance
- Google Earth Guidance
- Google My Maps Guidance
- Guidance A: How to Use the Management Capacity Assessment Tool
- Guidance B: Template of Management Plan
- Guidance C: Creating a Farm Map
- Guidance D: Geolocation Data Requirements and Risk Maps
- Guidance E: Grievance Mechanism
- Guidance F: Gender Equality
- Guidance for Areas at High Risk of Deforestation and Encroachment Into Protected Areas in Cameroon
- Guidance G: Yield Estimation
- Guidance H: Integrated Pest Management
- Guidance I: Pruning
- Guidance J: Soil Fertility and Conservation
- Guidance K: Housing and Living Conditions
- Guidance L: Assess-and-Address
- Guidance M: Natural Ecosystems and Vegetation
- Guidance N: Energy Efficiency
- Guidance O: GHG Emission Reductions
- Guidance R: Assess-and-Address Monitoring Guidance Tool
- Guidance S: Remediation Protocol
- Guidance T: Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) Processes
- Guidance to Define if an Organization is in Scope of Certification
- Guidance U: Guidance Service Providers Applicability
- Guidance: Empty pesticide container disposal in Vietnam
- Guidance: Farm Certificate Holders transitioning to the 2020 Rainforest Alliance Certification Program
- Indicators and Smart Meters
- KoBoCollect Guidance
- QGIS GUIDANCE – Guidance on Converting and Managing Geospatial Files
- Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard: Introduction
- Rainforest Alliance Volume Calculator
- Sustainability Differential and Sustainability Investment, Coffee Sector Guidance document
- Sustainability Differential and Sustainability Investments: Banana and other Fresh Fruit sector
- Sustainability Differential and Sustainability Investments: Cocoa Sector Guidance
- Sustainability Differential and Sustainability Investments: Hazelnut Sector Guidance
- Tea Selling Marks
- Tea Supply Chain Support Letter
- Traceability Guidance
Searching for a specific document? Find it on our main Certification page >
For steps on how to implement the requirements of the standard, view our training course >
Assurance
Farms, forest communities, and businesses that participate in our certification program are audited against sustainability standards based on the triple bottom line: environmental, economic, and social well-being. This is guided by a drive to verify credible, useful data and compliance evidence. These documents provide the rules and guidelines for assurance.
2020 Certification and Auditing Rules
The Assurance System of the 2020 Certification Program introduces numerous innovations to ensure that certification is more context-specific, data-driven, and risk-based.
Download2020 Rules for Certification Bodies
The Rainforest Alliance manages, and is responsible for, a global Assurance System for Certification Bodies.
DownloadFee Catalogue for Certification Bodies
The Rainforest Fee Catalogue describes the fees applicable to Certification Bodies according to Section 1.6, Assurances Costs of the Rules for Certification Bodies.
DownloadKey Supporting Documents
The documents in this section help farmers and supply chain actors apply the requirements in the standard.
ReportsNot Binding
One sheetsNot Binding
ExplainersNot Binding
Forms and TemplatesBinding
GuidanceNot Binding
Policies and rulesBinding
- Audit Allocation System: Implementation in Ivory Coast and Ghana
- Policy on Remote Audits
- Remote Closure of Non-Conformities Policy
- Grievance Procedure
- Policy: New Certificate Holders During the Transition Period For the 2020 Rainforest Alliance Certification Program
- Policy on measures to address shortages of Rainforest Alliance certified volumes during the transition period for Colombia and Peru
- Policy on measures to address shortages of Rainforest Alliance certified coffee volumes during the transition period for Brazil
- Policy on Changes to Chapter 2: Rules for CB Personnel
- Policy on changes to certification and auditing rules for audits in the transition year
- Policy for Farm and Supply Chain Certification in Cocoa
- Policy on Measures to Address Shortages of Rainforest Alliance Certified Volumes During the Certification Cycle
- The Investment Plan Template for the Tea Sector
Find a Rainforest Alliance authorized certification body >
Are you an auditing firm and interested in becoming authorized to provide certification services for the Rainforest Alliance program? Currently there are open authorization processes in Japan. Read more in our resources for Certification Bodies page. If you want to be notified of future authorization processes, please write to cbmanagement@ra.org.
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