La pandemia y sus efectos: La certificación promueve la resiliencia de los agricultores

The document assesses the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in enhancing the resilience of small-scale farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. While VSS can provide higher incomes through price premiums, stronger supply chain links, and better access to training, they do not fully protect producers from international price volatility or asymmetric power dynamics. The brief recommends that governments complement VSS with social protection, minimum pricing, and policies to stimulate demand for sustainable products.

• Voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) can increase the resilience of small producers by enabling higher prices or price premiums, which improves their capacity to invest and adapt during crises. For example, organic rice producers in Cambodia and coffee farmers in Rwanda achieved higher incomes compared to those in conventional markets.
• VSS foster stronger, more supportive relationships between buyers and producers, which facilitates more secure market access and faster recovery. In India, some buyers maintained orders and provided seeds and inputs to VSS-compliant suppliers despite lockdown restrictions.
• Certification promotes market diversification and access to international markets, reducing competition for producers in regions where VSS adoption is still emerging, such as Guinea-Bissau and Cambodia.
• Producers adhering to VSS are often better prepared for health crises due to a pre-existing culture of following protocols and training. This was evident in Guatemala, Colombia, and Rwanda, where farmers more easily adapted to COVID-19 hygiene and mask mandates.
• VSS have significant limitations: they do not protect against global commodity price volatility, nor do they grant producers bargaining power in buyer-led supply chains. In India, some VSS-compliant cotton prices still fell below the government's minimum support price.
• The benefits of VSS may decrease as supply increases and competition grows, unless there is a corresponding increase in market demand.
• To enhance farmer resilience, governments should implement policies such as stimulating demand for sustainable products via subsidies or taxes, establishing minimum prices for decent income, and expanding social protection programs like cash transfers.

APA

Elder, S. (2021). La pandemia y sus efectos: La certificación promueve la resiliencia de los agricultores. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience-es.pdf

Chicago

Elder, Sara. La pandemia y sus efectos: La certificación promueve la resiliencia de los agricultores. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience-es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Elder |first1=Sara |title=La pandemia y sus efectos: La certificación promueve la resiliencia de los agricultores |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience-es.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{elder2021pandemia, author = {Elder, Sara}, title = {{La pandemia y sus efectos: La certificación promueve la resiliencia de los agricultores}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience-es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }