Promoting Ecosystem Services within Fairtrade Value Chains

The applicant has ten years experience working with small-scale coffee producers in Central America evaluating the ecosystem services from shade-grown coffee, and developing ecological management practices. He has also worked with Fairtrade cooperatives in evaluating the ecological and economic sustainability of organic coffee production, the impacts of changing climate and markets, and facilitating the development of strategies to address these risks. Research has evaluated the provision of environmental services from producer systems, including evaluation of carbon stocks and carbon footprint under different production systems. Thus the applicant has detailed knowledge of ecosystem services and their management from one sector and one region providing Fairtrade coffee to UK and European markets. This project will allow the evaluation of the contribution of Fairtrade licensed companies in the UK and Europe to promoting ecosystem management, building on the applicants and Twin’s and experience with companies and producer organizations.

The main activities will include:
i. Synthesis of existing studies of environmental impacts of Fairtrade and related sustainability programmes.
ii. Initial scoping of initiatives of Fairtrade companies with initiatives related to supporting ecosystem service provision in producer communities.
iii. Interviews with Fairtrade licensed companies on their actual support activities to promote biodiversity and ecosystem services, and their interest supporting ecosystem services in producer communities
through payments for environmental services.
iv. For a selection of initiatives (3 case studies) conduct interviews with all value chain participants to elucidate outcomes and effectiveness of such initiatives; how these initiatives relate to the business models of the company in terms of CSR and marketing; and potential for establishment of payments for environmental services.
v. Conduct in-country evaluation of outcomes in producer countries for case studies in at least 2 countries.
vi. Develop Guides of Best Practices for Fairtrade Licensees in integrating actions to support ecosystem services among their producer suppliers.
vii. Roundtable with interested Fairtrade licensees to share results from case studies and obtain feedback on guide of best practices.
viii. Development of final report on case studies and company surveys and preparation of article for distribution in sustainable/green business media.


Case studies will be selected from value chain initiatives in which Twin has involvement in Latin America and Africa, supporting small-scale producers. Potential case studies include: a) in Malawi a Twin Joint Marketing Initiative and a FRICH public private partnership has implemented a sustainable agriculture pilot now in the process of being scaled up; b) Reforestation payments to organic coffee producers in Nicaragua with support from their UK buyer; c) Ghanaian Cocoa cooperative who receive informal Payment of Environmental Service for tree planting to sequester carbon from their buyer, d) Twin supported climate adaptation projects with coffee producers in Uganda. The case studies will be selected depending on a more detailed revision of the actions being undertaken and their level of development, and most importantly on the interest of the companies participating to collaborate in the study.