The Rainforest Alliance is constantly making efforts to deliver more value to the thousands of growers and companies around the world who use certification to drive more sustainable agriculture and more equitable supply chains. For this reason, the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program has many new and innovative features, from a shared responsibility approach to a continuous improvement model. It took years of hard work and collaboration to get to this point. Prior to publishing the 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard in June, two separate rounds of online public consultations were held with more than 1,000 people in 50 countries, incorporating contributions from the field to the presentation room.

As a new program is launched, dialogue with partners is maintained to make the standard even more practical and flexible in different contexts, to ensure a smooth implementation and transition from previous standards. The new program aims to strengthen the quality of implementation and create means for buyers to provide additional support to producers in implementing the requirements of the standards. In addition, in general the response to the pilots has been positive.

BANANA SECTOR

TECHNICAL MEETINGS

Since the publication of the 2020 Certification Program, more than 15 technical meetings have been held with numerous participants from organizations in the banana sector and farms. Such meetings have provided an opportunity for constructive discussions on key elements of the Sustainable Agriculture Standard. The goal is to ensure that banana producers around the world use the full potential of the standard so that they can maximize positive social, environmental and economic impact.

PILOT AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

In the first quarter of 2021, the Rainforest Alliance plans to run several pilots with international retailers to see how the shared responsibility approach works in practice and adjust guidance and training accordingly. The Rainforest Alliance invites banana growers to participate in these pilots and provide information to ensure smooth implementation.

Trainings for current certificate holders and potential new members in Latin America will start in January 2021.

MEASURES TAKEN BY RAINFOREST ALLIANCE BASED ON FEEDBACK.

All feedback helps improve the program. Based on feedback from the banana sector, the Rainforest Alliance identified 39 action points. At the end of December 2020, 24 of these actions were completed.
The improvements will be incorporated into the guidance documents and version 1.1 of the new standard (to be published in early 2021). The other actions are being implemented or have led to some invitations for the banana sector to provide more input.

The Rainforest Alliance has also adapted schedules to support implementation for banana farms and companies,Next steps:

The Rainforest Alliance is committed to continually improving our certification program to drive real change on the ground, in collaboration with farmers, businesses, and other members of our alliance.
Read more how the Rainforest Alliance invites the banana sector to join an ambitious new program.