steps towards group certification presentation eng

(1)

Steps towards

Certification

- Preparation of a group –

Steps towards

Certification

- Preparation of a group –

Presented by:_{Presented by:} Presented to:

Presented to: Date:

(2)

Standard documents for group certification

1. Sustainable Agriculture Standard

For member farms

About environmental, social and management practices at farms

2. Group Certification Standard

For group administrator

(3)

General process

3

Step 1: Formation of the group

Step 1: Formation of the

group Identifying the producers Identifying the

producers Sensitization of

the producers Sensitization of

the producers Identifying the Identifying the _{ICS team}ICS team

Step 2: Planning

Step 2: Planning Analysis of the

standard Analysis of the

standard _{responsibilities}responsibilitiesDefining Defining _{plan and tools}Developing a Developing a plan and tools

Step 3: Preparation of the ICS team

Step 3: Preparation of

the ICS team

Training of group administrator

Training of internal auditors

Training of internal auditors Training of

trainers Training of

trainers

Step 4: Training of the producers

Step 4: Training of the

producers Training of producers Training of

producers Implementation Implementation _{of the standard}of the standard Follow-upFollow-up

Step 6: External audits

Step 6: External audits_{of farms and of}External audits ICS

External audits of farms and of

ICS

Corrective actions Corrective

actions CertificationCertification

Step 5: Internal audits

Step 5: Internal auditsInternal audits of the farms and the ICS

Internal audits of the farms and

the ICS

actions Follow-upFollow-up

Step 7: Continuous improvement

Step 7: Continuous improvement Improvement of

farms

Improvement of

farms Improvement of ICS Improvement of

(4)

Step 1: Formation of the group

1. Members

(Producers need to be well informed and agree to join the group.)

2. Group Administrator

(Group Administrator is in charge of the Internal Control System of the group. He/she also takes the final decision on the participation of the members to the group.)

3. Trainers

(Trainers help the farms to implement the standard. They could be agronomists of the group, extension officers, lead farmers etc.)

4. Internal Auditors

(Internal auditors inspect all the member farms at least once every year. They need to be adequately trained.)

Step 1: Formation of the group

Step 1: Formation of

the group Identifying the producers Identifying the

producers Sensitization of

the producers Sensitization of

the producers Identifying the ICS team Identifying the

ICS team

Brief the producers about the steps towards certification, then identify the people who will form the group.

(5)

Step 2: Planning

• _{Which criteria are applicable at the}

Group (ICS) level ?

(For each criterion, the Group

Administrator needs to decide whether it will be handled by the group or by each farm. For example, the criteria in the principle 1 of the standard are

likely to be handled by the group.)

• _{Which criteria are applicable at the}

Farm level ?

(All the criteria that are not handled by the group need to be handled by the

farms.) 5

Criteria for the group

Criteria for the farms

Step 2: Planning

Step 2: Planning Analysis of the

standard Analysis of the

standard _{responsibilities}responsibilitiesDefining Defining

(6)

Step 2: Planning

Step 2: Planning

• _{Develop a plan that defines activities, timeline, responsible}

persons, tools and resources required.

• _{For example, a group may need to develop an internal}

inspection checklist for the criteria to be audited at the farm level. This could be a useful tool for the internal audits.

Example of a checklist

(7)

Step 3.1: Training of group administrator

• Group administrator needs to be trained upon how to develop the group’s ICS, based on the two standard documents that apply to the group.

7

the ICS team

Training of group administrator

Criteria for the group

Group administrator needs to document the system as an ICS manual, and be implement it.

(8)

•Trainers could be lead farmers, agronomists of the group, extension officers, etc.

•Trainers need to be well respected and trusted by the

members, know how the farms can implement the standard, and communicate it to them.

Step 3.2: Training of trainers

the ICS team Training of trainers Training of

trainers

• _{Trainers should be provided}

(9)

Step 3.3: Training of internal auditors

• _{Internal auditors need to be trained upon the standard, auditing} techniques and how to use the checklist of the group.

• _{Group Administrator needs to do a spot-checks of internal audits} conducted, to see whether the internal auditors are well-trained or need more training.

9

the ICS team internal auditorsTraining of Training of internal auditors

(10)

Step 4: Training of the producers

Step 4: Training of the producers

Step 4: Training of the

producers Training of producers Training of

producers Implementation _{of the standard} Implementation

of the standard Follow-upFollow-up

• _{Trainers train producers using a methodology that is most}

locally adequate.

• _{Remember to keep the record of the training sessions.}

• _{Trainers need to follow up with the producers to ensure that}

(11)

Step 5: Internal audits

• Each farm and the ICS needs to be internally audited at least once a year. It is a very important step to generate a process of continuous improvement of the farms and of the group.

• An internal auditor cannot audit his/her own farm or those of their immediate family members.

• The farms need to take a corrective action for each non-conformity.

• After the internal audits, follow-up the farms to ensure that all the corrective actions are taken.

11

Step 5: Internal audits

Step 5: Internal auditsInternal audits of the farms and the ICS

Internal audits of the farms and

the ICS

(12)

Step 6: External audits

• _{External audits are conducted by external auditors from} accredited certification bodies of Rainforest Alliance.

• _{Non-compliances will be indicated during the audits.} • _{Final decision:} _{Certification, or}

Certification after corrective actions, or No certification

Step 6: External audits

Step 6: External auditsthe farms and the External audits of ICS

External audits of the farms and the

ICS

actions CertificationCertification

(1)Audit of the ICS (2) Audits of sample

(13)

Step 7: Continuous improvement

• _{The process does not stop at certification. After certification,}

both the farms and the ICS need to continue improving each year.

• _{Develop an “action plan” each year that defines activities,}

timeline, responsible persons, tools and resources required.

• _{Follow-up the plan to ensure that all the actions are}

implemented in time.

13

Step 7: Continuous improvement

Step 7: Continuous improvementImprovement of

the farms Improvement of

the farms Improvement of the ICS Improvement of

(14)

The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.