Brief

Policy Brief No. 1. Assessing the poverty impact of voluntary sustainability standards in global tea and cocoa value chains: Key findings of a 4 year study

Abstract

An NRI study (2009-14), funded by the UK Department for International Development, systematically assessed the poverty impact of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS), such as Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade. Covering two commodities (tea and cocoa) in four countries, involving hired labour, smallholder and outgrower contexts, the study employed a theory based impact evaluation and mixed methods approach