In this first-ever SAN/Rainforest Alliance Impacts Report, we summarize the effects of SAN/Rainforest Alliance farmer training and certification through an exhaustive review of nearly two dozen scientific studies and the audit data from over 200 certified farms and farmer groups. After presenting a global snapshot of the scope and geographic distribution of certified farms, the […]
UTZ Certified and Solidaridad have been partners in a cocoa programme in Ghana since 2010 with the collaboration of producer groups, licenced buying companies, traders and non-governmental organisations. They aim to improve smallholder cocoa productivity, incomes, working conditions and the environment. The programme started with training, then added inputs. The groups were certified for the […]
In this PhD dissertation, Rebeca de Jesus Crespo of the University of Georgia evaluates the impact of coffee agroforestry on high elevation streams in Costa Rica, assesses the effects of shade tree cover requirements on water quality, and makes recommendations for maximizing the effectiveness of NGO-academia partnerships.
Producers’ perceptions of costs and benefits play an important role in the motivation to become and stay certified. This study of the short-term, economic costs of the investments, in light of the price premiums paid for Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee, indicates how compliance costs may be favoring or hindering growth. It reveals a complex cost-benefit […]
Covering close to 2.1 million hectares, Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) is the largest protected area in Central America and home to about 180,000 people, as well as globally important biodiversity and cultural heritage. This report by the Rainforest Alliance, Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP), and the Wildlife Conservation Society analyzes deforestation trends in […]
This study provides the first evaluation of UTZ certification from the point of view of the certified farmers and other stakeholders in Brazil. The UTZ certification programme was launched in 2002 in Brazil. Over the years, the number of certified farmers has grown considerably, mainly due to the adoption of the standard by medium and […]