Coping with COVID-19: Certification supports farmer resilience

This policy brief analyzes how voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) helped smallholder farmers in six countries cope with COVID-19. It finds that VSSs can build resilience through higher premiums, stronger buyer relationships, market diversification, and existing training in protocols. However, VSSs do not eliminate international price volatility or the disproportionate power of buyers. The brief recommends that governments support resilience by incentivizing sustainable consumption, ensuring living incomes via minimum prices, and extending social protection programs.

• Voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can enhance smallholder resilience by providing higher prices and premiums, which increase producer incomes and the capacity to invest and adapt to shocks. For example, organic rice producers in Cambodia and coffee farmers in Rwanda selling to VSS-compliant markets reported higher revenues and income than those in conventional markets.
• VSS compliance often fosters stronger, more 'solidary' relationships between buyers and producers, which can secure market access and accelerate recovery from shocks. In India, some VSS-compliant cotton buyers maintained seed and input deliveries during lockdowns and respected contracts at fixed prices above market rates, while organic cashew producers in Guinea-Bissau resumed selling faster due to buyer guidance on COVID-19 hygiene standards.
• Certification supports market diversification and reduces competition in emerging markets. In Guatemala, VSS-compliant producers accessed international markets, making them less vulnerable than those relying solely on national markets. In Cambodia and Guinea-Bissau, the small number of certified producers resulted in less competition and greater contract security.
• The training and protocol-driven culture required for VSS compliance helped farmers adapt more quickly to COVID-19 health and safety measures. Producers in Colombia, Guatemala, and Rwanda were perceived as better equipped to implement protection activities because they were already accustomed to following standards and protocols.
• VSSs have significant limitations: they do not fully protect farmers from international price volatility or asymmetric power dynamics. In India, most VSS-compliant cotton prices still dropped below the government minimum support price during the pandemic. Furthermore, the stability of contracts in Cambodia was found to depend more on membership in agricultural cooperatives than on organic certification itself.
• Governments can build smallholder resilience by leveraging VSSs alongside other policy actions. Recommended measures include incentivizing the consumption of sustainable products, establishing regulatory frameworks for climate-smart agriculture, connecting producer organizations with supply chain actors, extending social protection programs like cash transfers, and establishing minimum producer prices to ensure a living income.

APA

Elder, S. (2021). Coping with COVID-19: Certification supports farmer resilience. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience.pdf

Chicago

Elder, Sara. Coping with COVID-19: Certification supports farmer resilience. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Elder |first1=Sara |title=Coping with COVID-19: Certification supports farmer resilience |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{elder2021coping, author = {Elder, Sara}, title = {{Coping with COVID-19: Certification supports farmer resilience}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }