Fostering sustainability in production and trade of raw materials, horticulture and tropical products (RaMHOT): Assessing the impact of certification schemes on farm incomes, inclusive rural development and market access

Summary

The study reflects on the role of sustainability certification in some of the most pressing issues in raw materials, horticulture and tropical (RaMHOT) value chains, namely farm income, market access, and rural development. It also highlights potential enabling factors and barriers, which facilitate or hinder positive impacts of certification, and provides recommendations for rendering certification schemes more effective in mainstreaming sustainability in the RaMHOT value chains.
The report focuses on four crops: cocoa, cotton, sisal, and tea. Correspondingly, we focus on the following certification schemes: Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), Fairtrade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance (RA) and UTZ.