State of Sustainability Initiatives Review: Standards and Poverty Reduction

The report analyzes 13 voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) and a joint field study by IISD and UNCTAD involving 57 interviews across six countries to determine how these standards impact poverty reduction for smallholder farmers. It identifies that VSS compliance can alleviate poverty by providing skills training, improving product quality, and increasing crop income and social capital. To maximize these benefits, the report recommends establishing living income references, improving land access, enhancing farmer knowledge, and stimulating demand for sustainable products, while urging VSS bodies to include farmers in decision-making and adopt gender-equality approaches.

• Voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can aid poverty reduction by providing skills training that improves farming practices and producer knowledge, enabling the growth of higher-quality, sustainable products. This process can lead to more stable and higher crop incomes and prices, as well as increased social capital through stronger producer organizations.
• The report recommends several systemic actions to enhance the impact of VSSs on poverty, including the creation of living income references for farmers, improving access to sustainable and productive land, increasing farmer knowledge of VSS implementation, and driving demand for sustainable goods.
• Specific recommendations for VSS bodies include the adoption of gender-equality approaches, the systematic inclusion of farmers in decision-making processes, and the improvement of monitoring, assurance, and learning systems.

APA

de Cordoba,, S. E. W. L. E. F. (2021). State of Sustainability Initiatives Review: Standards and Poverty Reduction. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/ssi-review-standards-poverty-reduction

Chicago

de Cordoba,, Sara Elder,Ann Wilkings,Cristina Larrea,Niematallah Elamin,Santiago Fernandez. State of Sustainability Initiatives Review: Standards and Poverty Reduction. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/publications/ssi-review-standards-poverty-reduction.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Cordoba, |first1=Sara Elder,Ann Wilkings,Cristina Larrea,Niematallah Elamin,Santiago Fernandez |title=State of Sustainability Initiatives Review: Standards and Poverty Reduction |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2 December 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/ssi-review-standards-poverty-reduction |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{decordoba2021state, author = {de Cordoba,, Sara Elder,Ann Wilkings,Cristina Larrea,Niematallah Elamin,Santiago Fernandez}, title = {{State of Sustainability Initiatives Review: Standards and Poverty Reduction}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/ssi-review-standards-poverty-reduction}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }