COSA Project Update | Sustainable Commodity Initiative

COSA Publication Recent Publication: "Seeking Sustainability: COSA Preliminary Analysis of Sustainability Initiatives in the Coffee Sector"

The Committee on Sustainable Assessment (COSA) was formed, in part, to develop a scientifically credible framework capable of assessing the impacts associated with the adoption of sustainability initiatives.

This paper examines the pilot phase of vetting and testing the COSA method, a farm management tool used to gather and analyze data using economic, environmental and social metrics.

First COSA Field Report Published - Successful Pilots Complete in Five Countries
COSA partners IISD, CATIE, INCAE/(CIMS) and CIRAD completed the application of COSA in 5 countries. Dozens of farms applying various sustainability initiatives were tested in Costa Rica, Honduras, Kenya, Nicaragua and Peru. The lessons learned are being incorporated into the current Methodology so that COSA is even more adaptable to diverse field and farm conditions.

The ability to apply COSA as a management tool that assesses the impacts of sustainability efforts is becoming a valuable asset and is being incorporated into several sustainability initiatives themselves as they seek improved ways to measure and monitor their efforts.
Download the report for five country findings

COSA Expands Global Reach - From Coffee to Cocoa
Tanzania: Preparations for the first full-scale country application of COSA in Tanzania have begun. Tanzania covers nearly a million sq. kilometres (one-fourth the size of the EU and more than twice the size of California). Agriculture provides 80% of the total employment and coffee is a primary crop with 750,000 producers.

Funding has been approved and partners selected include the Department of Agriculture's Extension Division, Tanzanian Coffee Research Institute (TACRI), The Sokoine University, and several leading cooperative groups. First steps are to adapt the tool with the participation of local stakeholders and then to apply it broadly to both arabica and robusta production. Tanzania also has other 'sustainably produced' crops, so COSA intends to test its sustainable farm management tool with some such as cotton.

Colombia: The Colombia National Coffee Growers Federation has chosen to roll out the COSA tools for farmers in Colombia and is in the process of arranging that effort under the umbrella of CRECE (Centro de Estudios Regionales, Cafeteros y Empresariales) one of the nation's most respected research centers.

Cocoa: Adaptation and testing of the COSA methodology for measuring the impacts of initiatives in the Cocoa sector was recently completed in Ghana under the auspices of the Sustainable Cocoa Partnership. A road map for rolling out the work in Ghana, as part of a larger technical assistance campaign in cocoa has been prepared and is ready for implementation.

SCAN Project Supports COSA - New Partnership Formed
Through a combination of national and international coordination the Sustainable Commodity Assistance Network (SCAN) will provide technical assistance training to producers interested in gaining access to sustainable markets by providing vital training on 'sustainable business management' including:

Sustainable Agricultural Practices
Financial Literacy and Risk Management
Organizational Development
Traceability and Quality Management Systems
Market planning and Marketing

SCAN will be implemented at the national level through National Platforms made up of local government, industry, NGO's, research agencies, and producer groups to provide a coordinated and targeted support system dedicated to building sustainable producer enterprises at the field level-particularly among smallholders.

With field networks around the world, SCAN provides an invaluable platform for applying the systems and findings developed in COSA. COSA can aid producers and policymakers in determining effective sustainable farm management strategies within the context of SCAN's broader business facilitation framework- leveraging the knowledge and resources of national and international expertise and resources. Pilot work under SCAN is currently being planned for application to coffee in Tanzania, Peru, and Honduras; and the cocoa sector in Ghana and Indonesia.

Key actors involved to date include:

Standard-Setters - IFOAM, Fairtrade, Utz Certified, Rainforest Alliance, 4C Association
Technical Assistance/Umbrella Groups - Commodity Support Network, CABI international, CIRAD, SNV, ISEAL Alliance, HIVOS
Industry - Twin Trading, Volcafe and ECO

SCAN is a project of the Sustainable Commodity Initiative (SCI).