Technical Assistance

Key Message

As mainstream markets increasingly require suppliers to fulfill specific sustainability related requirements, there is a growing risk that smaller producers will face exclusion from such markets due to a lack of technical preparedness. In particular, there is a need to link technical assistance for sustainable business management to sustainable farm practices.

Technical Assistance

Calling for expansions in infrastructure and training

In order to take advantage of the benefits of entering sustainable markets, producers need to be able to approach the market strategically and efficiently. In most developing countries the infrastructure for applying conformity assessment and marketing sustainable products remains highly under-developed. In a similar manner, small and medium-sides enterprises (SMEs) producers and workers have little training on the needs, costs and benefits associated with standards compliance. If the transition to sustainable markets is to provide real opportunities for those most in need, rather than lead to their exclusion, there is a need for massive investments in infrastructure and training. The SMART initiative is seeking a variety of different mechanisms for catalyzing commitment and efficiency in the delivery of such technical assistance to Southern stakeholders in need.

GAP Analysis for Sustainable Coffee Production
Most producers make the decision to enter a specific sustainability system without having any indication of what the eventual costs of making the relevant modifications to production will be. The GAP analysis project assesses the direct costs associated with attaining compliance to three major certification systems operative in the coffee sector.
Sustainable Commodity Assistance Network
The Sustainable Commodity Assistance Network originated out of the Implementation Taskforce of the Sustainable Coffee Partnership. The SCF aims to provide generic training to coffee producers and cooperatives so that they can enter sustainable markets more efficiently and on the basis of sound business planning.
ABS Management Tool Project
Under the Bonn Guidelines on Access to Genetic Resources and Fair and Equitable Sharing of the Benefits Arising out of their Utilization, of the Convention on Biological Diversity, companies commit to sharing benefits of the use of genetic resources with host countries. Through its SECO funded Access and Benefit Sharing project, IISD has led the development of the "Access and Benefit Sharing Management Tool"—a voluntary tool for implementing the Bonn Guidelines.

The Sustainable Commodity Initiative (SCI)

The Sustainable Commodity Initiative was launched in 2003 through an IISD-UNCTAD Partnership and has provided a concrete vehicle for SMART project development and implementation. The SCI, now a partnership of IISD-UNCTAD-AidEnvironment and UNCTAD, aims to promote sustainable commodity production and trade by improving awareness of, learning between and appropriate policy responses to voluntary initiatives operative in the commodities sector. To see what the SCI is currently doing and learn more about voluntary initiatives operating in commodity supply chains, please visit the SCI Web site.

Key SCI projects:

Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST)

The Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST) is an association of socially oriented financial service providers and other stakeholders committed to promoting improved access to finance for producers of sustainable commodities. More specifically, FAST aims to improve producer access to "small and medium enterprise trade finance" by providing a central point of contact, cooperation and information between financial service providers, producers and related stakeholders in international supply chains. To become a member of FAST or learn more, visit the FAST Web site.

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Key Message