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Home » Issues » Human rights

Human rights

Advancing the rights of rural people

What's at Stake

The production of many commonly traded goods—coffee, chocolate, tea, bananas, palm oil, and timber—often involves human rights abuses. While progress has been made in recent years, thorny problems such as child labor, forced labor, poor working conditions, low wages, gender inequality, and the violation of Indigenous land rights are still embedded in many supply chains.

Learn more about...


  • Child labor
  • Forced Labor
  • Gender equality
  • Indigenous communities
  • Worker rights

Human rights and sustainability

Advancing the rights of rural people goes hand-in-hand with improving planetary health. Project Drawdown cites gender equality, for instance, as one of the top climate solutions, and in our own work, we have seen that farmers and forest communities can better steward their land when their human rights are respected. Everyone deserves to live and work with dignity, agency, and self-determination—and promoting the rights of rural people is key to a sustainable future.

Our Impact


Improving lives and promoting rights of rural communities is a central part of our mission. Our field results, backed by independent studies, demonstrate, for instance, that workers on certified farms are more likely to enjoy better working conditions and important protections.

Better Working Conditions on Certified Tea Estates

96 percent

of workers on Rainforest Alliance Certified tea estates in Tamil Nadu, India, receive paid annual and sick leave*

In Tamil Nadu, India, a study of 300 farmworkers on seven Rainforest Alliance Certified tea estates and one noncertified estate found a significantly higher percentage of workers on certified estates had contracts and annual paid leave, sick leave, and maternity leave.

Read the report

*Source: Lalitha N, Nelson V, Martin A, Posthumus H. 2013. Assessing the poverty impact of sustainability standards: Indian tea. Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, London.

Better health and safety on banana plantations

100 percent

of Rainforest Alliance Certified banana farms studied in Colombia have a health and safety professional for their workers*

A study of 13 newly certified banana plantations in Colombia found health and safety professionals to be practicing on all the farms. These professionals identify risks, conduct trainings, and facilitate medical exams. 50 percent more managers on certified farms than non-certified also reported providing in-kind health benefits to permanent workers.

*Based on 2018 survey of newly certified farms in Colombia (Beekman, G. M. Dekkers, and T. Koster (2019). Towards a sustainable banana supply chain in Colombia; Rainforest Alliance certification and economic, social and environmental conditions on small-scale banana plantations in Magdalena, Colombia. Wageningen, Wageningen Economic Research, Report 2019-019: 1-49)

Our Work: Human Rights


The Rainforest Alliance brings together producers, companies, governments, nonprofit organizations, and consumers to advance human rights in the landscapes where we work. We work both to transform business practices and government policy, as well as promote the rights of our partner communities within our certification system and sustainable development initiatives.

Article

Advancing the Human Rights of Rural People

Addressing human rights abuses in agriculture and forestry is a key focus of our work to make responsible business the new normal.... Continue Reading
Learn More
Article

It Takes a Global Village to Tackle Child Labor on Farms

We can all play a crucial role to ensure that all children grow up in dignity.... Continue Reading
Learn More
Nguetsop Kana Madeleine
Article

The Future is Female: Inspiring Women in Sustainability

Meet 5 incredible women in sustainability who have successfully transformed their communities and the landscapes around them.... Continue Reading
Learn More
Article

Strengthening Worker Rights and Well-Being in Agriculture

The Rainforest Alliance protects and promotes the human rights of more than 1.5 million farmworkers through our certification program, and of tens of thousands more in our community-level work.... Continue Reading
Learn More

All resources for Human rights


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Article

Equipping Rural Youth to Become Tomorrow’s Sustainability Leaders

As climate change, poverty, and other problems intensify, our rural youth must have a voice, as well as education and support to help them thrive.

Published on December 21, 2022

Article

It Takes a Global Village to Tackle Child Labor on Farms

We can all play a crucial role to ensure that all children grow up in dignity.

Published on December 8, 2022

Videos

Advancing Women’s Rights in Cameroon’s Western Highlands

In this video, participants and colleagues in Cameroon’s Western Highlands talk about the impact this work has had in their lives and their hopes for the future.

Published on November 30, 2022

Videos

Women of Our Alliance

Women of our Alliance is a short film by the Rainforest Alliance. We celebrate some of the inspirational women leaders working to strengthen their communities while protecting local forests.

Published on November 17, 2022

Women and forests: Ilana Melgar
Article

Women and Forests: A Winning Team in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve

If ever there were a question as to whether community forestry is an excellent conservation strategy, one would only have to look to the concessions of the Maya Biosphere Reserve for an answer—and to the women leaders who live there.

Published on November 16, 2022

A photo of Nadege Nzoyem smiling and looking to the right of the camera.
Article

In Cameroon, Women Are Ideal Sustainability Leaders

Studies show that climate change disproportionately affects women and girls. Yet their intrinsic bond with the natural landscape is what makes women ideal sustainability leaders.

Published on November 9, 2022

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