As sustainability standard systems seek to step up the supply and collective impact of certified products, they are increasingly challenged to reach out to producers who are less organized or organized in other types of group models. To help producers make the transition to suitable models, Aidenvironment conducted a study for the ISEAL Alliance which identifies and describes different models of producer groups in the agricultural and forestry sector. Each model is described according to different variables, such as governance system, human and financial capacity, service delivery and business orientation. Special attention is paid to how certification works in each model. The report is illustrated with a selection of case studies of different types producer groups that have been certified or are in the process of certification.Photograph Diligent Tanzania.
For more information contact Jan Willem Molenaar.
Growing concern about sustainability issues and CSR strategies has created a demand for sustainability programs for new products. For some years UTZ CERTIFIED has been rolling out a successful program in coffee, followed by cocoa and tea. For palm oil and cotton it provides the track and trace system for existing standards. Several stakeholders have expressed an interest in working with UTZ CERTIFIED on new products. These developments require UTZ CERTIFIED to position itself and decide on a strategy for future expansion into new commodities. To gain a fuller grasp of the potential of new products, UTZ CERTIFIED has asked Aidenvironment to carry out a feasibility study for 34 products.
Since hand pumps were installed to supply the population with drinking water, some 77 million people in Bangladesh have been exposed to contaminated groundwater, with 10 million drinking highly toxic water every day. Three water treatment plants using proven techniques incubated by the Ecological Management Foundation (EMF) are now being built to remove the arsenic and salinity from the water. Once up and running, the project will be rolled out throughout Bangladesh, where the small scale factories will be run by local entrepreneurs.
The pilot that will test the purification technology in the field in Bangladesh was officially launched by Allerd Stikker of EMF at an opening bell ceremony at Amsterdam's Stock Exchange on 15 December 2010. It followed the award that month of a substantial grant by the Netherlands Water Partnership to the consortium composed of the Ecological Management Foundation, the Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM), Voltea - a company of Unilever Ventures, the Proportion Foundation, Micro Water Facility and Akvo to start the ambitious project. Legal support is being provided by Norton Rose
LLP.
Aidenvironment recently assisted 3 international cocoa companies in developing proposals for increasing their cocao supply by buying from small-scale farmers in West African countries as well as for improving the quality of the cocoa. Local service providers are being asked to provide input, microcredit and technical assistance. Public private partnerships are key to establishing platforms at country level to engage key stakeholders and enhance competitivity in the cocoa sector.
The
Dutch report Internationaal Marketing
Plan Watersector presents the results of a study into the set of
instruments the Dutch government should offer the water sector to help it realize
its aspirations. The ambitious aspirations of this top sector and the
discussions these have fired within the water sector were recently set out in
the paper Visie Water 2020. To get a
good idea of the sector’s ambitions, the supporting instruments currently
provided by the government and the wishes of the sector an extensive literature
study was carried out, followed by a number of interviews with key figures and
key organizations in the sector. The term ‘sector’ refers here to the water
technology and delta technology divisions. The full report can be downloaded via the following link to the site of the Netherlands Water Partnership.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)has teamed up with partners in an initiative to ensure that rice, one of the world’s major food crops, is produced in ways that are environmentally friendly and socially responsible, while boosting yields for both commercial and subsistence farmers.
The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), an initiative of UNEP, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Aidenvironment, Louis Dreyfus Commodities and Kellogg Company, will promote the use of technologies and improved rice farming practices for better harvest, while keeping the environment healthy.
It will also facilitate safer working conditions and higher incomes to alleviate poverty and enhance food security.
At the inaugural meeting of the Platform at IRRI’s headquarters in the Philippines held on 29-30 November 2011, government representatives from Indonesia, Thailand, Viet Nam and Myanmar, international and Asia-based companies and non-government organizations (NGOs) expressed their support and interest in the initiative.
“The Sustainable Rice Platform provides opportunities for promoting resource use efficiency and sustainable trade flows throughout the value chain of the global rice sector and deliver real results to the lives of rice farmers,” said James Lomax, the UNEP Programme Officer for Agriculture and Food, who together with Aidenvironment, initiated the Sustainable
Rice Platform.
Workshop participants established an SRP governance structure and technical working groups with output targets and roadmaps for the coming years. Over the next 2 years, the SRP will develop and promote a set of globally relevant principles (standards) and best practices for sustainable rice production; develop and
promote quantifiable sustainability targets (criteria and indicators) that suit a variety of agricultural, social and environmental conditions; develop and promote a set of decision-support systems (such as field or footprint calculators) for assessment of rice production practices against an array of biophysical, socio-economic and environmental performance indicators; and promote the adoption of the developed principles, best practices, and targets by rice producers and participants in the whole rice value chain.
The SRP founding members are private sector companies Kellogg’s, Mars Foods, and Louis Dreyfus; and the Asian Institute of Technology/CIRAD. Other participants in the launch were representatives from Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia; CropLife Asia, Syngenta, DuPont Crop protection,Jolibee Foods Corporation, AidEnvironment, and the German International Cooperation (GIZ). Rice presents a unique challenge for any quality control system because it is mostly grown by hundreds of thousands of poor farmers who have only very small farms of less than one hectare each. Moreover, 90 per cent of rice is grown in developing countries in Asia where access to knowledge and support is limited.
The Platform will encourage national agricultural departments to explore and test management practices to make them relevant and to promote them to rice farmers. NGOs and companies will assist in developing sustainability criteria to safeguard or improve environmental health.
Rice farmers, as well as production, processing or trade organizations and businesses, will use the Platform to secure a sustainable rice system and explore incentive mechanisms for farmers to grow rice more sustainably.
Aidenvironment was asked by the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation to assess which instruments the Dutch private sector needed to support the export position of the water sector abroad. Aidenvironment first carried out a desk study of the strategy documents aimed at positioning the water sector as one of the top innovative sectors in the Netherlands. Next, we interviewed key organizations in the sector and asked them which export supporting instruments they required. Finally, we identified the gap between existing instruments and future requirements, and advised the Ministry on possible changes to strengthen the Netherlands’ export position in the future.
To qualify under international agreements on climate change and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), in 2010 the Ministry of Physical Planning, Land and Forest Management in Suriname launched its Forest Carbon Assessment project. Aidenvironment was hired to develop a monitoring methodology and build the technical capacity of the Ministry and other relevant institutes. WWF Guianas and Tropenbos International financed the project.
As sustainability standard systems seek to step up the supply and collective impact of certified products, they are increasingly challenged to reach out to producers who are less organized or organized in other types of group models. To help producers make the transition to suitable models, Aidenvironment conducted a study for the ISEAL Alliance which identifies and describes different models of producer groups in the agricultural and forestry sector. Each model is described according to different variables, such as governance system, human and financial capacity, service delivery and business orientation. Special attention is paid to how certification works in each model. The report is illustrated with a selection of case studies of different types producer groups that have been certified or are in the process of certification.
Photograph Diligent Tanzania.
Funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by NL EVD International, the ORIO facility encourages public infrastructure development in over 40 developing countries.
As a partner in a consortium with ECORYS, Aidenvironment is assisting NL EVD International with the assessment of pro-poor, human rights and environmental impacts of projects applying for the ORIO Infrastructure facility.
HarvestPlus has set itself the ambitious goal of improving the nutritional status of 500 million persons through the introduction of staple crops biofortified with vitamins and minerals.
Aidenvironment was asked to develop a strategy for the launch of the biofortified seeds. As a foundation for the launching program, studies were made of the existing value chains for 7 staple crops in 6 countries.
The program, an initiative of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), receives core funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
In 2008 Unilever asked Aidenvironment to verify accusations made by Greenpeace International claiming that 6 major plantation groups operating in Central Kalimantan were involved in unsustainable oil palm cultivation practices. Aidenvironment's report led Unilever to decide to review its contracts with major palm oil suppliers.
Since 2003 Aidenvironment has been managing the Programme on Sustainable Soy and Palm Oil (PSSP) on behalf of the Dutch DOEN Foundation. The main objective of the PSSP is to improve sustainability in the palm oil and soy sector for the benefit of nature conservation and socio-economic development of small-scale producers and local communities. Over the years Aidenvironment has developed a broad network of civil society organizations and frontrunning companies, working together to meet the programme’s objective. Aidenvironment facilitates the preparation of funding proposals, monitors the progress of the financed initiatives, measures impact and is responsible for the overall communication with partners. Aidenvironment also provides extra technical and/or organizational assistance where needed. At program level, Aidenvironment assisted DOEN in redesigning the program strategy and impact monitoring.
PSSP projects on soy are located in South America (mainly Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay). Its palm oil-related projects are located in Southeast Asia (mainly Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea). By early 2011, some 90 projects operated by 50 partners have enjoyed support under the program.
Indigenous peoples that are largely dependent on their natural environment for their livelihood are being hard hit by the increasing exploitation of natural resources to satisfy rising global economic demands and the many negative impacts this has on the high biodiversity of their territories.
This study is the first to systematically research and verify the suspected impact of the Dutch economy on the territories and well-being of indigenous peoples. Instigated by the Netherlands Centre for Indigenous People (NCIV), the study identifies and researches the most relevant sectors of the Dutch economy affecting indigenous peoples.
In support of this work, Aidenvironment conducted two case studies in Indonesia (one on timber and one on palm oil). To assess the challenges and opportunities for protecting the livelihoods and well-being of indigenous peoples vis a vis selected economic activities, the case studies take a look at both good and bad practices. In addition, Aidenvironment produced maps charting the production areas and indigenous territories.
