Redução da pobreza: Normas voluntárias de sustentabilidade podem auxiliar os pequenos agricultores

The document argues that voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) can reduce poverty by improving agricultural prices, preserving natural resources, and strengthening producer organization, provided they are integrated into broader poverty-reduction strategies. While VSS can increase income through price premiums of 10% to 30% and promote sustainable land management, their impact is often limited by high certification costs, lack of direct market access, and insufficient inclusion of women and smallholders in governance. The brief recommends that VSS incorporate requirements for living incomes and climate adaptation, while governments should support these efforts through land regularization, financial resources, and the promotion of direct trade relationships.

• Voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) can help reduce poverty by influencing agricultural product prices, preserving natural resources, organizing producers, and improving supply chain relationships.
• VSS can provide smallholder farmers access to buyers and consumers willing to pay a premium of 10% to 30% for sustainably grown products.
• While VSS often include requirements aligned with international conventions—such as minimum wage, worker health and safety, and freedom of association—they frequently lack sufficient focus on living income, climate mitigation, and carbon sequestration.
• The effectiveness of VSS in reducing poverty is not unequivocal and depends on the specific context, as there is insufficient evidence to prove they consistently generate higher net income for smallholder families or reduce gender inequalities in resource access.
• Smallholder access to VSS markets is hindered by several barriers, including prohibitive certification costs, lack of direct access to traders, excessive intermediaries, and unfavorable environmental conditions such as water scarcity and changing climate patterns.
• The most critical facilitating factor for smallholder success is an ecosystem of support agents—including government agencies, traders, and extension services—that provide information, training, and market data.

APA

Elder, S. (2023). Redução da pobreza: Normas voluntárias de sustentabilidade podem auxiliar os pequenos agricultores. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-07/ssi-brief-reducing-poverty-vss-support-smallholder-farmers-pt.pdf

Chicago

Elder, Sara. Redução da pobreza: Normas voluntárias de sustentabilidade podem auxiliar os pequenos agricultores. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2023. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-07/ssi-brief-reducing-poverty-vss-support-smallholder-farmers-pt.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Elder |first1=Sara |title=Redução da pobreza: Normas voluntárias de sustentabilidade podem auxiliar os pequenos agricultores |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2023 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-07/ssi-brief-reducing-poverty-vss-support-smallholder-farmers-pt.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{elder2023reduo, author = {Elder, Sara}, title = {{Redução da pobreza: Normas voluntárias de sustentabilidade podem auxiliar os pequenos agricultores}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-07/ssi-brief-reducing-poverty-vss-support-smallholder-farmers-pt.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }