Market Uptake

Agroforestry can improve farmers’ resilience and income and is a vital solution for landscape restoration, local climate adaptation and global mitigation. However, results fall short when systems are designed for farmers, instead of with them. The new Agroforestry Co-Design Guide is a practical, open resource to help co-create locally grounded agroforestry plans that farmers want, manage and keep.

Dutch retailers Albert Heijn, Superunie and Jumbo have committed to fair cocoa sourcing across their private label products. The combined market share of Dutch supermarkets that have committed to sourcing fair cocoa now exceeds 80%, marking a significant shift towards making fair chocolate the norm. To mark this milestone, we awarded them the Living Income Award—recognizing their commitment to advancing living incomes for cocoa farmers and accelerating sector-wide transformation.

Behind every cup of coffee, there’s a story. In Colombia, seven coffee cooperatives decided to take charge of that story by participating in a pilot project run by Progreso and Solidaridad, thereby gaining ownership of their own data.

The European Parliament adopted changes to postpone and simplify EUDR. Large companies have to apply the regulation from 30 December 2026, and smaller businesses by 30 June 2027. Let’s hope the third time is the charm—and this is the final delay. Constant shifts punish the frontrunners who acted early and destroy the predictability that all stakeholders need. Forests, farmers and European businesses need clarity to preserve our global biodiversity.

Supermarkets sit at the heart of global food systems. As the link between producers and millions of consumers, they have the power and responsibility to drive meaningful change across supply chains. At Solidaridad, we believe that supermarkets can be key partners in transforming markets, improving the livelihoods of farmers and workers and ensuring that sustainable products become the norm, not the exception.

During the 2025 Annual Conference of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a serious issue emerges: tens of thousands of certified independent smallholders are being left behind by the very system designed to support them. Despite achieving RSPO certification—a process requiring significant investment and commitment to social and environmental standards—the market is failing to purchase their certified produce and reward their efforts to invest in sustainability. The lack of uptake of credits creates a financial challenge for small farmers and threatens the integrity of the sustainable palm oil movement.

The Honduran palm sector, a vital contributor to the country’s economy, is facing a significant challenge: requirements under the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The regulation restricts access to the European market, unless farmers and suppliers demonstrate traceability, legality and deforestation-free production. Solidaridad is working with a local federation in the palm oil sector to rectify gaps to full compliance.

The fashion industry is undermining the potential of sustainable cotton for farmers and the environment by relying on uncertified cotton and synthetic fibres, finds a new report published today by Solidaridad and Good On You. The 2025 Cotton Rankings, covering the cotton sourcing of the top 100 fashion brands, also reveals that the fashion industry still lacks transparency on their purchasing practices.

The Indonesian tea sector is undergoing a period of transition. At stake are the livelihoods of thousands of small farmers who struggle with the impacts of a changing climate, declining productivity and low prices. A new national brandmark, Jatayu, reintroduces Indonesian tea to the global market by championing authentic, sustainably-produced tea from small-scale farmers building better livelihoods.