Faire face à la COVID-19 : Renforcer la résilience des agriculteurs par la certification

The document assesses the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in enhancing the resilience of small-scale farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a study of six countries and commodities, it finds that VSS can provide higher prices, stronger buyer relationships, and better training, which help farmers mitigate shocks. However, VSS alone cannot protect against global price volatility or asymmetric power dynamics in supply chains. The brief recommends that governments complement VSS with social protection programs, minimum price guarantees, and policies to stimulate demand for sustainable products.

• Voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) can enhance smallholder resilience by providing higher prices or premiums compared to conventional markets, which increases a farmer's capacity to invest and adapt to shocks. In India, niche markets for organic and extra-long staple cotton maintained advantageous prices during the pandemic, while in Rwanda, VSS-compliant coffee generated better revenues than conventional coffee.
• VSS often foster stronger, more supportive relationships between producers and buyers, which ensures more secure access to inputs and markets during crises. For example, in India, some buyers provided seeds and inputs despite lockdowns, and in Guinea-Bissau, certified organic producers resumed sales faster than non-certified ones due to health and distancing guidance provided by buyers.
• Compliance with VSS can diversify market options and reduce competition for certified farmers in certain regions. In Cambodia and Guinea-Bissau, where certified producers are few, they face less competition than conventional farmers. In Guatemala, VSS allow access to international markets, making these producers less dependent on the domestic market than non-compliant farmers.
• The training and culture of compliance associated with VSS improve farmers' ability to implement adaptation and protection activities. In Guatemala, Colombia, and Rwanda, VSS-compliant producers adapted more easily to COVID-19 health protocols, such as mask-wearing, because they were already accustomed to following strict standards and training.
• VSS have significant limitations: they do not guarantee protection against international commodity price volatility, nor do they grant farmers more bargaining power in buyer-driven supply chains. In India, most VSS-compliant cotton prices still fell below the government's minimum support price during the pandemic. In Cambodia, the stability of contracts depended more on membership in a cooperative than on VSS certification.
• The advantages of VSS may diminish as the supply of certified products increases and competition grows, unless there is a corresponding increase in market demand. This was specifically noted in Guinea-Bissau and Cambodia, where the current benefits are partly due to the small number of certified actors.

APA

Elder, S. (2021). Faire face à la COVID-19 : Renforcer la résilience des agriculteurs par la certification. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience-fr.pdf

Chicago

Elder, Sara. Faire face à la COVID-19 : Renforcer la résilience des agriculteurs par la certification. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Elder |first1=Sara |title=Faire face à la COVID-19 : Renforcer la résilience des agriculteurs par la certification |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{elder2021faire, author = {Elder, Sara}, title = {{Faire face à la COVID-19 : Renforcer la résilience des agriculteurs par la certification}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/covid-19-certification-farmer-resilience-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }