This publication discusses various aspects of voluntary environmental and social standards and certification programmes operational in cash crop production systems, especially in the tropics.
Over the past 20 years the number of standards and certification programmes for agricultural production have grown fast. Producers who want to export are confronted not only by a plethora of import regulations, but also within those import countries by different niche markets for which additional requirements have to be fulfilled. From another point of view, their products may already comply with such requirements, and such niche markets may offer opportunities for increased market access or even price premiums.
At the other side, consumers are confronted with more and more product labels, and although consumer demands are often at the basis of such labels, consumers may be overwhelmed by the number. For environmental and social labels, they may be barely aware of what the labels actually mean and whether they are credible.
For governments, trying to serve producers, traders and consumers, it might not always be clear what role they could or should take on with respect to these developments. Voluntary environmental and social standards are mostly advocated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and implemented by the private sector. Yet such voluntary environmental and social standards affect areas that are of concern to many governments, such as the environment, labour conditions, access to niche markets and price premiums.
This paper gives an overview of the existing internationally operating voluntary environmental and social standards and certification programmes that are of relevance to cash crop production, particularly tropical and horticultural crops. Information is provided about the organizations behind the initiatives, the scope of the standards and the verification systems. Attention is given to market developments and potential impacts at producer level. Relevant provisions of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements are discussed in relation to the existing standards and programmes. Finally, the paper discusses some issues around the standard-setting process and verification methods that are also relevant for other sectors and industries.
The Raw Materials, Tropical and Horticultural Products Service of FAO hopes this paper will be a useful source of information for governments, NGOs, private companies and individuals, and will help decision-making related to environmental and social standards, certification and labelling issues.
