Voluntary and mandatory frameworks are key to creating long-lasting sustainable change, yet public and private actors often lack the incentives, knowledge, and capacity to develop them in a way that ensures farmer participation.
Our ambition: Voluntary frameworks and mandatory regulations protect the interests of small-scale farmers and workers, and enable and promote sustainable production and trade.
The shifts in global supply chain demands and raises expectations for more responsible production, coupled with the escalating impacts of climate change and deepening inequality, have fueled a push from civil society to address systemic problems in global supply chains. Regulations and guidelines, like the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, EU Deforestation Regulation, OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct , The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and others can be a powerful tool to mitigate these problems. But there is also a risk that the burden of compliance makes life more complicated for farmers and becomes a barrier to market access.
Solidaridad works with farmers and civil society groups to strengthen their capacity, foster self-organization, and enhance their ability to influence pricing, policies and trade regulations.
HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS
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Voluntary frameworks and mandatory regulations are improved or established to protect and promote the interests of small-scale farmers and workers
Smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana are poised to gain a stronger voice in decision-making processes within the cocoa sector, with the establishment of the Ghana Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Association. Through this association cocoa producers are consolidating their efforts, and creating an effective advocacy organization for a stronger voice at the community, national and international level.
In Indonesia, women working in agriculture continue to struggle with a lack of access to resources— most critically, land. This is where the programme, Palm Oil & Women’s Equity through Resources, Rights, and Representations in Indonesia (PoweRRR), makes a difference.
Farmer collectives are an important tool that can significantly improve the position of smallholders in the value chain, provide access to crucial services and inputs, and increase their negotiating power for better prices and buying terms.
Regulatory frameworks fundamentally shape how markets operate and who benefits. Small-scale farmers and workers, particularly women and youth, are often left out of the regulatory processes that shape their livelihoods. Solidaridad Europe works to change this by ensuring that their perspective is brought to policymakers and public policies and frameworks reflect local realities. We focus on influencing both mandatory regulations and voluntary frameworks to ensure markets work for producers and the environment.
Building a Resilient and Responsible Dairy Chain in Bangladesh
The new Dairy Value Chain Forum marks a turning point for the dairy industry in Bangladesh. By uniting diverse stakeholders seeking to build a commercially viable and carbon-neutral dairy sector, it ensures that every drop of milk contributes to creating a greener, more prosperous Bangladesh.
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.
In northern Guatemala, a coalition is working to protect critical ecosystems and biodiversity in the country’s largest tracts of remaining tropical forest. This group of companies, civil society organizations, government agencies and local communities has united as part of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s environmental remediation and compensation standard. This 25-year initiative balances environmental impact with conservation actions, and demonstrates the strength of multi-stakeholder alliances to effect change.
We contribute to the creation of an enabling policy environment and governance systems that set the stage for sustainable production and trade.
Strengthen civil society and farmer organizations to influence public and private sector norms and policies.
Work with public actors to develop, implement and enforce mandatory regulations that promote inclusive and sustainable production and trade.
Work with private actors and financial institutions to develop, implement and enforce voluntary frameworks that support inclusive and sustainable production and trade.
Convene parties in multi-stakeholder initiatives and participate in local, regional, national and international dialogues, coalitions and platforms that support small-scale farming.
Champion farmer representation at local, national, regional and international level to ensure their perspectives are incorporated in regulations and policy implementation plans.
Advocate with local and national governments, sector and industry associations, and corporates on policies that help farmers and workers to earn a living income and wage, promote gender equality and align with internationally recognized benchmarks and conventions.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER
Systemic change cannot be accomplished when actors work in isolation. It requires close collaboration with stakeholders at every level, including farmers, processors and companies, community leaders, civil society, and governments. Each and every actor has a role to play in creating more sustainable and equitable supply chains.
We are collaborating with a large number of trusted public and private sector actors, as well as foundations and individuals, to achieve a mutual ambition for a better world. Do you want to become part of this ambition and contribute? Please reach out to a partnership officer in your region.
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