ANNEX S1
GLOSSARY
Version 1.2© 2022 Rainforest Alliance. All rights reserved.

The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces toprotect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities.

Translation Disclaimer
For any question related to the precise meaning of the information contained in the translation,please refer to the official English version for clarification. Any discrepancies or differences inmeaning due to translation are not binding and have no effect for auditing or certification purposes.

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Document Name:

Document Code: Version:

Annex S1: Glossary

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

1.2

Date of firstpublication:

Date of revision:

Valid From:

Expires by:June 30th, 2020

January 31st, 2022

July 1st, 2022

Until further notice

Developed by:Approved by:Rainforest Alliance Department Standards Director of Standards and Assuranceand Assurance

Linked to:
SA-S-SD-1 Rainforest Alliance 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard, Farm
Requirements
SA-S-SD-2 Rainforest Alliance 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard, SupplyChain
Requirements

Replaces:
SA-GL-SD-1-V1.1 Annex 1: Glossary

Applicable to:
Farm and Supply Chain Certificate holders

Country/Region:
All

Crop:

Type of Certification:

All crops in the scope of the Rainforest
Alliance certification system; please see
Certification Rules

Farm and Supply Chain Certificate
Holders

Annexes are binding and must be complied with for certification.
Any use of this content including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication,
without the prior written consent of Rainforest Alliance is strictly prohibited.

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

2

KEY CHANGES
Overview of key adaptations in this document,
SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2, Annex S1 Glossary V1.2, published on January 31st, 2022,
compared to
SA-GL-SD-1-V1.1, Annex S1 Glossary V1.1 published September 3rd, 2021
Term
Average of 5 ormore workers
Brand owner
Certificate holder
Family worker
Farm
Final consumer
product
First buyer
Identity Preserved(IP)
Multi-farmRainforest
Alliance claim
Risk

Safe drinking
water
Segregation (SG)Shipment
Sustainability
Differential
WorkerSA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

ChangeCorrection in the table with calculation examples
Definition is added
Definition is added
Definition of “worker exchange” is added to the definition of family
workerClarification: “Farm” includes all farm units under its geographicalscope, i.e. certified and non-certified crops.
Definition is added
Adaptation of definition to include farm CHs which purchaseproduct from other farm CHs.
Adaptation: Traceability type Mixed IP is no longer included in thedefinition of traceability type Segregation but is now included in the
traceability type Identity Preserved.
Definition is added
Clarification: “Claim” is any reference made about Rainforest
Alliance certification or about the sourcing of a Rainforest Alliancecertified product or ingredient(s).
Clarification: A risk is the chance something negative happens,combined with the extent of the impact.
Risk mitigation measures are actions taken to prevent such eventsfrom happening, and/or to diminish their effects.
Correction to definition of safe drinking water parameters: Sodium
maximum 200 mg/L
Amendment: Traceability type Mixed IP is no longer included in thedefinition of traceability type Segregation but is now included in the
traceability type Identity Preserved.
Definition is added
Amendment to the definition to clarify that the Sustainability
Differential is paid to all kinds of farm certificate holders.
Amendment to the definition to remove “Family worker” so thedefinition of worker includes only hired workers who receive
payment. All applicable worker requirements continue to apply tofamily workers or worker exchange.

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A
Active ingredientAgrochemicals

Agroforestry

Applicable law

Aquatic
ecosystems

Assess-andaddress

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

A pesticide consists of several substances. The active ingredient is the chemicalthat can kill, repel, attract, mitigate, or otherwise control a pest. The othersubstances can assist this effect either directly or indirectly.
Commercially produced, usually synthetic, chemical compounds used inagricultural production, such as fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators,
nematicides, or soil conditioners.
The combination of trees alongside agricultural crops, potentially including othervegetation and livestock, in integrated systems that produce food, support
biodiversity, create healthy soils, secure water availability and sequester carbon
from the atmosphere.
National and ratified international laws that apply in a specific context orsituation. National laws include the laws and regulations of all jurisdictions within anation (local, regional, and national). International laws to which nations haveaccededare also considered as applicable law.
Flowing and still water bodies and other wetlands. This includes:•
Flowing and still water bodies: All naturally occurring streams, rivers, pools,
ponds, lakes, and lagoons, as well as seasonal streams that flow
continuously for at least two months in most years, or flow intermittently andare at least 1 meter wide. Streams and rivers that have been altered by
sedimentation, polluted runoff, bank erosion, thermal pollution, or
impoundments less than 1 meter high are still considered aquatic natural
ecosystems. Artificial pools, water treatment lagoons, and irrigation ponds,
are not considered natural aquatic ecosystems, unless: a) these water
bodies have been colonized by an endangered species; and/or b) thewater body was constructed to provide fish or wildlife habitat.
•
Other wetlands: All naturally occurring wetlands, where the naturalhydrological conditions result in either or both of the following conditions:a) Soils are waterlogged for most of the year; and/orb) The land is periodically or permanently inundated by shallow water,
including floodplains, wet areas bordering ponds, streams, or the ocean.
For the purposes of the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard, thefollowing are not considered aquatic natural ecosystems:•
Areas that have been made seasonally or perennially wet due to humanactivity (such as drainage ditches, irrigation ponds, reservoirs, effluent
holding ponds, aquaculture ponds, rice paddies, or gravel pits), unless: a)these water bodies have been colonized by an endangered species;
and/or b) the wetland was created by humans to provide wetland habitat.
A management system through which certificate holders identify, mitigate, andmonitor risks of child labor, forced labor, discrimination, and workplace violence &harassment, then remedy instances that occur. The approach stimulates certificate
holders to build sustainable capacity over time to identify and address these issues.

4During a whole year, the farm contracts at least five workers that work at least fivedays a week or the equivalent of this. Please see the table for examples:
Number of Hired Workers
5 workers
10 workers
10 workers
20 workers
40 workers
40 workers

Number of Days
5 days per week
2.5 days per week
5 days per week
2.5 days per week
2.5 days per week
5 days per week

Employment Period
12 months
12 months
6 months
6 months
3 months
1.5 months

Average of ≥ 5
hired workers(Applicable for
Small Farms only) These workers can be permanent, casual, temporary, migrant, or seasonal workers.

Family workers (Please see the definition of family workers) are not counted as hired
workers.
Please note, this definition is only applicable for small farms under groupmanagement that hire the equivalent of 5 or more full-time workers throughout theyear. There will be a tool available that will assist these calculations in Annex S13:Group Member Registry.

B
Basic protective
clothing

Brand owner

Buffer zone

Apparel and footwear for persons handling pesticides include coveralls over a longsleeved shirt, long pants, socks, and stout shoes, with chemically resistant gloves, withprotection for eyes (i.e., a face mask or goggles), and respiratory protection (i.e., a
respirator).
A person or company who markets any commodity under a registered brandname or label. This may include private label brands/store brands owned by retailcompanies. A brand owner is defined as: i) A corporate entity which markets a
product under one or more registered brand name(s) or label(s). This entity may
process and pack the product themselves or via a third party, but they own, andhave responsibility for the brand. Ii) A retail entity which markets a product under
one or more private label(s) or store brand(s), owned by them.
Areas peripheral to a specific protected area, indicated by the relevant authorities,
where restrictions on resource use and/or special development measures areundertaken by the authorities to enhance the conservation value of the protected
area.

C

Certificate
holderCertificate
scope
CertifiedChild

1 (UN CRC article 1).

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Anyone that is issued a certificate from Rainforest Alliance. The certificate may
be an endorsement issued by Rainforest Alliance or a certificate issued by a CB.
The Certificate holder may be a farm or a supply chain actor, or an entity
managing the certificate for plural farms or supply chain actors.
The set of activities, processes, actors, and products that are covered under thecertification of a certificate holder.
The term “certified” in the requirements refers to the volume of any crop produced
and traded by certificate holders, which is verified and achieves certification
against the 2020 Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard, or the legacy
UTZ or legacy Rainforest Alliance certification programs.
Any human being below the age of 18 years.1

5

Child labor

Work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity, andthat is mentally, physically, socially, or morally dangerous and harmful to children. It
includes work that interferes with their schooling by depriving them of theopportunity to attend school or obliging them to leave school prematurely; or
requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively longand heavy work. This includes:▪
The worst forms of child labor:2 including all forms of slavery or practices
similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt
bondage and serfdom, and forced or compulsory labor, including forced
or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict; the use,
procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of
pornography or pornographic performances; the use, procuring or offeringof a child for other illicit activities.
▪
Hazardous work: The worst forms of child labor also include hazardous
work, which by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, islikely to harm the health, safety, or morals of children. This includes but is
not limited to carrying heavy loads, work in dangerous locations, inunhealthy situations, at night, or with hazardous substances or equipment,
or work over long hours or at height. Countries which have signed the ILO
Convention 182 are required to develop a national list of tasks that areconsidered hazardous for children. Where available, these national lists ofhazardous tasks apply. In the absence of national lists of hazardous tasks,
advice may be sought from competent national authorities such as
Departments of Labor, Agriculture, Child Welfare etc) and/or the national
ILO office.
▪
Underage child labor: Work that is conducted by children younger than 15
years of age for the farm, group, or group members, that interferes with
their schooling, exceeds 14 hours a week, or is not considered “light work or
family work”. In case national law has set the minimum work age at 14
years this age applies. In case national law has set the minimum work age
at a higher age than 15, the national minimum age for entering
employment applies.3
Please see below a diagram regarding age restrictions between child work andchild labor.

Graph 1.1 illustrating the age differences in child work, child labor and the worse
forms of child labor.4 Please note, the numbers in brackets are the lower minimum
ages allowed by ILO for member countries whose economy and educational
facilities are insufficiently developed.

2 ILO Convention, Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)
3 ILO Convention, Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)
4 Adapted from ILO, Child Labour Guidance Tool For Business, 2015

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6

Child work

Climate changeChildren’s or adolescents’ participation in work that does not affect their healthand personal development or does not interfere with their schooling, is generally
regarded as being something positive. This includes activities such as helping theirparents around the home, assisting in a family business or earning pocket money
outside school hours and during school holidays. These kinds of activities contributeto children’s development and to the welfare of their families; they provide themwith skills and experience and help to prepare them to be productive members ofsociety during their adult life. This includes:
1) Regular employment/work: From the age of 15 (in developing economies14) children can start general employment or work not exceeding 48 hours
per week. In countries where the minimum age is higher or the number of
permitted hours of work is lower, the national set minimum age andmaximum hours apply. Children’s work should be non-hazardous, butshould be safe and age-appropriate and not interfere with compulsory
education.
2) Light work: Work that is not harmful to the health and development of achild, does not interfere with their schooling or training, is under thesupervision of an adult, and does not exceed 14 hours a week. In line withILO Convention 138, children aged 12-14 may perform light work incountries with developing economies. In countries where national law does
not allow children to perform light work, the national minimum age for entry
into employment applies.
3) Family work: Farming activities performed by children on their small-scalefamily/household farms that consist of light, age-appropriate duties thatgive them an opportunity to develop skills, do not classify as child labor
provided that the activities are not harmful to their health anddevelopment, do not interfere with schooling, and are under thesupervision of an adult.5
Climate change refers to significant changes in global temperature, rainfall,
humidity, wind patterns and other weather patterns that occur over several
decades or longer. These changes in weather patterns have significant impacts on
agricultural conditions, the environment and sea levels on a global level. Current
climate change trends are attributed largely to human activity such as theincreased levels of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere fromthe use of fossil fuels and changes in land use including deforestation.

Climate change
adaptation

Adjustments to farming practices and management to reduce the negative
impacts that current or expected climate change has on crops, farming systems,
ecosystems, and livelihoods.

Climate change
mitigation

Human interventions to reduce climate change by reducing the sources ofgreenhouse gas emissions or enhancing stocks of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in theenvironment.

Climate-Smartagriculture

Community

A combination of various sustainable methods to tackle the specific challenges
from climate change of a specific farming community. It is composed of threemain pillars:1) Sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes2) Adapting and building resilience to climate change
3) Reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions, where possible
Groups of people living in the same place or region affected by the existence oroperation of a farm, group of farms or company. Rural workers, farm inhabitants,neighbors, indigenous people, and inhabitants of nearby villages or cities may be
communities affected by a specific farm, group of farms or company.
See Indigenous Peoples and local communities

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Competentprofessional/
technician

An individual with demonstrated professional expertise, skills, experience, andcredentials in a specific subject area. For specific technical activities such as flying
aircraft or drones for pesticide application, a competent professional/technician issomeone licensed or certified by the applicable national authority.

CompostBiologically decomposing of organic matter under controlled conditions(temperature, humidity, oxygen) into a humus-like stable product that can be used
as a natural fertilizer.

Confidentiality

The duty of an individual/body to refrain from sharing confidential information withothers, except with the express consent of the other party and in the case of a childwith the permission of its caretakers.

Conservation

Protection of a natural ecosystem against direct or indirect human conversion ordegradation. Natural ecosystems may be conserved through any combination ofstrict preservation, restoration, or sustainable management.
Change of a natural ecosystem to another land use, or profound change in thenatural ecosystem’s species composition, structure, or function. This includes theconversion of a natural ecosystem to a plantation, cropland, pasture, water
reservoirs, infrastructure, mining, and urban areas.
Deforestation is one form of conversion (conversion of natural forests).

Conversion (ofland use)

Conversion includes severe degradation, or the introduction of management
practices that result in a substantial and sustained change in the ecosystem’s
former species composition, structure, or function
Change to natural ecosystems that meets this definition is considered to beconversion regardless of whether or not it is legal.

CreditVolume equivalent for certificate holders operating under the traceability levelmass balance.

D

Debt bondage(bonded labor)

Digitized (data)

Discrimination

The status or condition arising from a pledge by a debtor of his or her personal
services or of those of a person under his or her control as security for a debt. Debt
bondage occurs if the value of those services as reasonably assessed is not applied
towards the liquidation of the debt, or the length and nature of those services are
not limited and defined. Debt bondage (also known as bonded labor) can
manifest in several different ways. It is a form of forced labor.
Information that either has been collected through a device (such as a tablet,phone, GPS device) or has been converted into a digital format that can beprocessed by a computer to generate usable and analyzable data for decision
making.
Any distinction, exclusion or preference made based on race, color, ethnicity,
gender, sexual orientation, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social
origin, and others which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality ofopportunity or treatment in employment or occupation.5 Discriminatory practices
include, but are not limited to, unequal pay for equal work, unequal access tobetter-paid jobs and management positions, compulsory pregnancy tests duringhiring procedures or at any other moment in the work process.

5 ILO Convention Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)

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Domestic work

Work performed in or for a household or households (ILO Convention 189).
Domestic work is therefore defined according to the workplace, which is theprivate household. Occupations and tasks considered to be domestic work varyacross countries; they may include cooking, cleaning, taking care of children, theelderly and the disabled, attending to the garden or pets, or driving the family car.
Child labor in domestic work refers to situations where domestic work is performedby children below the relevant minimum age or in hazardous conditions or in aslavery-like situation.
The practice of selling the same volume produced or purchased as Rainforest
Alliance Certified twice, once as Rainforest Alliance Certified and once as
conventional or under another certification.

Double selling

For example, 100 MT of coffee produced by a farm can be certified as bothorganic and Rainforest Alliance and sold as
100 MT Rainforest Alliance Certified only, or
100 MT Organic only, or
100 MT Rainforest Alliance Certified and Organic (once in one batch) toone buyer.
However, that same volume of coffee cannot be sold separately as 100 MT oforganic coffee as well as 100 MT of Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee.
Double selling is not allowed under Rainforest Alliance rules.

Due Diligence

An ongoing risk management process that a company needs to follow in order toensure responsible compliance with all relevant laws and regulations and avoid
negative impacts on the environment or human rights caused directly or indirectly
through its operations or those of its supply chain. Due Diligence is exercisedthrough a process to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for how it addresses
adverse human rights and environmental impacts of a company’s operations. It
includes four key steps: assessing actual and potential impacts, integrating andacting on the findings, tracking responses, and communicating about how impacts
are addressed.6

E

Emergency

Employment
contract

An event in a particular setting and/or location that poses an immediate risk tohealth, life, livelihood, human rights, property, or environment.
A written agreement between the employer such as farm management, groupmanagement or company management, and the worker. The employment
contract should include information on the job description, working hours, payrate, overtime regulation, benefits and deductions, annual paid vacation
leave, protection from loss of pay in the cases of illness, disability or accident,
and the notice period for contract termination.

6 definition from: https://www.ungpreporting.org/glossary/human-rights-due-diligence/

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F

Family worker

Farm

Farm
Management

A person (of any gender) who helps another member of the family to run anagricultural holding or other business, provided they are not considered as
employees and have common household interests. Worker exchange(persons working for each other without payment) also falls under thisdefinition.
All land and facilities used for agricultural production and processing activities
under the geographical scope of the farm applicable for Rainforest Alliancecertification. A farm may be composed of several neighboring or geographicallyseparate farm units within one country, provided that they are under a common
management body. All farm units falling within this geographical scope mustcomply with the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard, including
both crops to be sold as certified and other crops.
The person or body responsible for planning and managing farm and administrative
activities for a certified farm. This includes a Farm Manager or Administrator that has
the responsibility to ensure that all the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable AgricultureStandard requirements are implemented. Farm management refers to the
responsible management body, farm manager, or technical representative who
fulfills this function for individual farms or multi-site farms under one owner.
A piece of continuous land that is part of a farm. A farm unit can include both
agricultural and non-agricultural land with buildings, facilities, water bodies, andother features. Please see diagram 1.2 below for the illustration of this explanation.

Farm unit

Diagram 1.2. Illustration of farm units

Fertilizer

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

Any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin (other than liming
materials) that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients aiding the
growth of plants.
▪
Inorganic Fertilizer: A fertilizer material in which carbon is not an essential
component of its basic chemical structure. Fertilizer in which the declared
nutrients are in the form of inorganic salts obtained by extraction and/or byphysical and/or chemical industrial processes. Examples are ammonium
nitrate, ammonium sulfate, and potassium chloride.
▪
Organic Fertilizer: By-product from the processing of animal or vegetable
substances that contain sufficient plant nutrients to be of value as fertilizers.
Examples include compost, manure, peat, and slurry.

10

Final consumer
product
First buyer

Five freedoms ofanimal welfare

A Rainforest Alliance Certified labelled product that is ready for consumption
and requires no further transformation in terms of processing or packaging.

The certificate holder legally owning the certified product after the initial farm
certificate holder.
In accordance with the 'Five freedoms of animal welfare' principle, an animal's
welfare is ensured when the following five conditions are met:
1) Good feeding: The animal is free from hunger, thirst, and malnutrition
because it has ready access to drinking water and a suitable diet.
2) Good housing: The animal is free from physical and thermal discomfort
because it has access to shelter from the elements and a comfortable
resting area.
3) Good health: The animal is free from pain, injury, and disease, thanks tosuitable prevention and/or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4) Appropriate behavior: The animal is able to express most of its
normal behavioral patterns because it has sufficient space, proper facilities
and the company of other animals of its kind.
5) Protection from fear and distress: The animal does not experience fear or
distress, because the conditions needed to prevent mental suffering havebeen ensured.7
All work or service required of any person under the menace of any penalty and forwhich the said person has not offered herself or himself voluntarily.
A person is classified as being in forced labor if they are engaged in work that is
involuntary (without the free and informed consent of the worker) and is exacted
through threats, penalties, or some form of coercion.

Forced labor

Forms of involuntariness can include, but are not limited to:•
Recruitment through a transaction such as slavery or bonded labor•
State-imposed labor, such as by the military, that does not meet the
exceptions provided in ILO Convention 29•
Involuntary prison labor•
Unpaid or extremely low-paid work•
Changes to working conditions (employer, wages, hours, nature of work,
conditions/hazards/exposures, time period) without the worker's consent•
Degrading working or living conditions imposed by employer or recruiter•
Involuntary and excessive overtime•
Limited freedom to terminate the work contract or agreement
Forms of coercion can include, but are not limited to:•
Physical or sexual violence•
Physical confinement•
Restrictions on movement or communication•
Fines or other financial penalties•
Deprivation of food, water, toilets, sleep, or other basic needs•
Isolation•
Forced use of drugs or alcohol•
Debt bondage or manipulation of debt, including manipulation ofadvances and loans•
Requiring monetary deposits, financial or collateral guarantees, or personal
possessions as a condition of employment•
Withholding or delay of wages or other benefits•
Retention of identity or other important documents without the worker’s
consent and/or without providing workers easy access to them•Threats of dismissal, deportation, legal action, or reporting to authorities

7 Farm Animal Welfare Committee, 1992; 1993

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Free, Prior andInformed
Consent (FPIC)

Freedom of
association

The right of indigenous peoples and other local communities to make free andinformed choices about the use or development of their lands and resources. FPIC
is implemented through a participatory process involving all affected groups that is
carried out prior to the finalization or implementation of any development plans. An
FPIC process ensures that communities are not coerced or intimidated; thatdecisions are reached through communities’ own chosen institutions or
representatives; that communities’ consent is sought and freely given prior to theauthorization or start of any activities; that communities have full information about
the scope of any proposed development and its likely impacts on their lands,
livelihoods, and environment; and that ultimately their choices to give or withhold
consent are respected.8
The right of workers and employers, without distinction whatsoever, to establish andjoin organizations of their own choosing without previous authorization.

G

GenderGenderequality

GenderSensitive

Socially constructed characteristics of women and men, such as norms, roles, andrelationships of and between groups of women and men. It varies from society tosociety and can be changed. While most people are born either male or female,they are taught appropriate norms and behaviors – including how they shouldinteract with others of the same or opposite sex within households, communities, andworkplaces.9 Gender Identify is not restricted to male and female as people may
identify themselves as both man and woman or as neither.
The equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of women and men and girls andboys. Equality does not mean that women and men will become the same but thatwomen’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend onwhether they are born male or female. Gender equality implies that the interests,
needs, and priorities of both women and men are taken into consideration,
recognizing the diversity of different groups of women and men. Gender equality is
not a women’s issue but should concern and fully engage men as well as women.
Equality between women and men is seen both as a human rights issue and as aprecondition for, and indicator of, sustainable people-centered development.10
Gender norms, roles, and relations are considered, and actions are taken on thebasis of that understanding to address gender inequality and men’s and women’s
specific needs, transform harmful gender norms, roles, and relations and promotechanges in power relationships between women and men

Genetically
Modified
Organism(GMO)

An organism whose genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur
naturally by mating and/or natural recombination.

GeographicalregionA defined cluster of countries which determines the boundaries within which
certificates for multi-site supply chain certificate holders can be issued.

Geolocation
dataGreenhouse
Gases (GHGs)

Data that identifies the geographic location of farms and boundaries of farms, farmunits, and other facilities of the Rainforest Alliance certificate holders. Geolocation
data is represented by coordinates generally collected through Geopositioning
Systems (GPS) mapping using either individual location points (including envelopes)or polygons which define the full boundaries of the relevant area.
Compound gases that trap heat or longwave radiation in the atmosphere. Their
presence in the atmosphere makes the Earth’s surface warmer. Human activities are
the main source of GHGs. The burning of fossil fuel, deforestation, intensive livestock
farming, the use of synthetic fertilizers, and industrial processes all contribute.

8 ILO, Free, Prior and Informed Consent

http://www.fao.org/indigenous-peoples/our-pillars/fpic/en

9 World Health Organization (WHO)10 UN Women, Concepts and Definitions https://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htm

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Grievance

Grievancemechanism

Group

Group
ManagementGroupmemberGroup
memberrepresentative

Group staff

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A grievance is a complaint or concern by any person about another person’s ororganization’s actions or about its rules and policies that have negatively affected
the complainant.
A process through which individuals, workers, communities, and/or civil society
organizations (including whistle-blowers) can raise their complaints of being
negatively affected by specific farm or business activities and/or operations. A
grievance mechanism may be formal or non-formal, legal or non-legal. It includes
the steps of submission of the complaint, treatment, remediation, and monitoring.
An association of organized producers that have a shared Internal Management
System (IMS) and are certified together under the Rainforest Alliance Certification
Rules. The group of organized producers can be organized in an association orcooperative or managed by a supply chain actor (such as an exporter) or
anotherentity.
The entity responsible for the development and implementation of the group’s
internal management system and for ensuring members’ farms are compliant
with the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard. Groupmanagement refers to the responsible management body, group manager, or
technical representative who fulfills this function for an association of organizedproducers that achieve group certification.
A producer who is certified as part of a group. It is the person who is the actual
operator of the farm (e.g. smallholder farmer, sharecropper) and does not needtobe the landowner.

A group member is chosen or appointed to act or speak on behalf of other groupmembers.

Workers who perform work for a Rainforest Alliance certified group. This includes
Group Management staff (such as internal inspectors and office personnel
working for the Group Management), workers at central locations of production,
processing,and maintenance sites.

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H

HazardHazardous
materials

Health andsafetyA potential source of harm or adverse health effect on a person or persons. Different
types of hazards exist including 'physical hazards' (like a slip or trip hazards, fire,
working with hot items, or using poorly maintained equipment) or 'health hazards'(like noise, vibration, unsuitable light levels, harmful dust, or stress) or 'chemicalhazards’ (like working with products from cleaning agents, glues to pesticides).
Materials that can damage persons or the environment. These include used leadacid batteries, asbestos, energy-saving mercury lamps, E-waste, electric transformers
with POPs (PCBs), medical equipment, radioactive material, pesticides, expired
human and veterinary medicines, used oils, bio infectious waste, disinfectants, animal
parts and carcasses, and particles (ashes, dust, pesticide drifts).
Laws, regulations, rules, principles, and procedures concerning the safety, health,and welfare of workers to prevent accidents or injuries in workplaces or public
environments.
This is also referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS) and nonoccupational health and safety for the safety of activities inside and outside of work.
Biological, ecological, social or cultural values which are considered outstandingly
significant or critically important, at the national, regional or global level:
1)
2)

High
Conservation
Value (HCV)

3)
4)
5)

6)

HCV1: Concentrations of biological diversity including endemic species, andrare, threatened or endangered species, that are significant at global,
regional or national levels.
HCV2: Intact forest landscapes and large landscape-level ecosystems andecosystem mosaics that are significant at global, regional or national levels,and that contain viable populations of the great majority of the naturally
occurring species in natural patterns of distribution and abundance.
HCV3: Rare, threatened, or endangered ecosystems, habitats or refugia.
HCV4: Basic ecosystem services in critical situations, including protection ofwater catchments and control of erosion of vulnerable soils and slopes.
HCV5: Sites and resources fundamental for satisfying the basic necessities of
local communities or indigenous peoples (for livelihoods, health, nutrition,water, etc.), identified through engagement with these communities orindigenous peoples.
HCV6: Sites, resources, habitats and landscapes of global or national
cultural, archaeological or historical significance, and/or of critical cultural,
ecological, economic or religious/sacred importance for the traditional
cultures of local communities or indigenous peoples, identified throughengagement with these local communities or indigenous peoples.

A specific Rainforest Alliance guidance document for the conservation of HCV
areas and Natural Ecosystems includes more detailed definitions and instructionsfor
identifying HCV areas.

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

14

The arrangements made by persons, individually or in groups, for providing
themselves with food or other essentials for living. A household may be either:••

HouseholdOne-person household: A person who makes provision for his or her food orother essentials for living without combining with any other person to form
part of a multi-person household.
A multi-person household: A group of two or more persons living together
who make common provision for food or other essentials for living.

•
The persons in the household may pool their incomes and may, to a greater or lesser
extent, have a shared budget. They may be related or unrelated persons orconstitute a combination of persons, both related and unrelated.
A household may be located in a housing unit or a set of collective living quarters
such as a boarding house, a hotel or a camp, or may comprise the administrative
personnel in an institution. The household may also be homeless.11
A household can be male-headed, female-headed, or child-headed. In the latter
two cases, households are often more vulnerable because of limited access tofinancial and in-kind resources.

Housing

A shelter which provides protection from the elements (such as, but not limited to,rain, precipitation, wind, heat, cold, humidity, the brightness of the sun) and acts asprotection against predators. Safe, clean, and decent housing is a critical element of
human wellbeing and worker rights and should offer adequate living conditions interms of location and construction, health and hygiene and comfort and decency.
The chasing and killing of an animal for food, sport, or profit.

Hunting

11 OECD, Glossary of Statistical Terms: Household (https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1255)

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15

I

Identity
Preserved

Imminent
dangerIndigenous
Peoples andlocal
communities

Integrated Pest
Management(IPM)

Intermediary

A traceability option in which it is possible to identify the Rainforest Alliance Certified
ingredient or product back to a farm certificate holder. This is the most stringent
traceability type. There is no mixing of certified ingredient or product with noncertified ingredient or product. If a certified product is from different certified
sources/farms, but identity is preserved throughout the supply chain, the subtype
Mixed Identity Preserved (Mixed IP) can be applied.
Any conditions, situations, or practices which could reasonably be expected tocause death or serious physical harm, either immediately or before the threat can beeliminated.
Distinct groups of people who satisfy any of the more commonly accepted
definitions12 of indigenous peoples, which consider (among other factors) whether
thecollective:•
Has pursued its own concept and way of human development in a givensocio-economic, political, and historical context•
Has tried to maintain its distinct group identity, languages, traditional beliefs,
customs, laws and institutions, worldviews, and ways of life•
Has at one time exercised control and management of the lands, natural
resources, and territories that it has historically used and occupied, withwhich it has a special connection, and upon which its physical and culturalsurvival typically depends•
Self-identifies as indigenous peoples•
Descends from populations whose existence pre-dates the colonization of
the lands within which it was originally found or of which it was thendispossessed
For the purpose of the Rainforest Alliance standard, this definition is also taken to
include other local communities that share key traits with indigenous peoples, suchas:•Attaching particular meaning to land and natural resources as sources ofculture, customs, history, and identity•
Depending on land and natural resources for their cultural and physicalsurvival, including sustenance of livelihoods, social organization, culture,
traditions, and beliefs•
Using and managing land in accordance with customary tenure systems,
which may or may not be formally recognized by state authorities.
The careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent
integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest
populations, as well as keep pesticides and other interventions to levels that areeconomically justified and reduce or minimize risks to human health and theenvironment. IPM emphasizes the growth of healthy crops and cattle with the least
possible disruption to agro-ecosystems and encourages natural pest control
mechanisms. The application of pesticides is based on the monitoring of disease or
pest infestations.
Any actor that trades (buys and sells) and/or handles Rainforest Alliance certified
product for a Farm or supply chain Certificate Holder.
Common examples of intermediaries in Rainforest Alliance certified supply chains are
small traders such as "pisteurs" in Cote d'Ivoire or "manavs" in Turkey, who source fromproducers to supply a farm Certificate Holder. As they handle low volumes, Rainforest
Alliance does not require intermediaries to be independently certified or registered in
the Rainforest Alliance platforms. However, they shall comply with applicablerequirements from the Rainforest Alliance Standard, and the certicate holder
management shall take responsibility for their compliance.

12 Commonly accepted definitions include those provided in the Convention Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in

Independent Countries (ILO Convention No. 169), the Study on the Problem of Discrimination against Indigenous Populations, and the
UN Working Paper on the Concept of “Indigenous People” prepared by the Working Group on Indigenous Populations.

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16

Internal
inspection

Internal
Management
System (IMS)

Invasive
species

Farm scope: First or second party audit conducted by a person (internal inspector)
designated by group management that checks compliance of all member farms
and farm units with all applicable Rainforest Alliance Sustainable AgricultureStandard requirements.
Supply chain scope: First or second party audit conducted by a person (internal
inspector) designated by management that checks compliance with all entities
covered within the certification scope with all applicable Rainforest Alliance
Sustainable Agriculture Standard requirements.
A documented system of quality management with the purpose to facilitate anefficient organization and management of the group and of ensuring that the groupand group members comply with the applicable requirements of the Rainforest
Alliance Sustainable Agricultural Standard.
A plant or animal species or subspecies that is not native to a given place, andwhose presence or introduction in that place causes or is likely to cause economic
harm, environmental harm, or harm to human health. For this standard, invasive
species are the ones referenced by IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group(ISSG) as 100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species.13 Crop or livestock species
are not considered invasive species.

13 Invasive Species Specialist Group (http://www.issg.org/worst100_species.html )SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

17

L
Labor
ProviderLarge farm

LivingincomeAn agency, subagent or individual that offers labor recruitment and placement
services such as supplying permanent, temporary or seasonal workers to farms or
production facilities. Labor providers can take many forms, whether for-profit or nonprofit.
Large farms do not primarily rely on family or household labor or workforce exchangewith other members of the community, but mainly on hired permanent and/or
temporary workers. Large farms generally run their own management system, or maybe
part of a group for certification. Large farms do not fit under the definition of small
farms.
The net annual earnings required for a household to afford a decent standard of living
for all members of that household. Elements of a decent standard of living include
food, water, housing, education, healthcare, transportation, clothing, and otheressential needs, including provisions for unexpected events.
The living income recognizes that the income that a household earns can come frommultiple sources. In the case of smallholder farmers, for example, income can beearned through off-farm business and remittances as well as from crop sales.14
The remuneration received for a standard workweek by a worker in a particular placesufficient to afford a decent standard of living for the worker and her or his family.

Living wage

Location point

Lost productElements of a decent standard of living include food, water, housing, education, healthcare, transportation, clothing, and other essential needs, including provision for
unexpected events. Living wage benchmark estimates are being developed in many
countries based on a single definition and methodology.15
A pair of latitude/longitude coordinates collected through Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) Data. The location point is a single data point. It can be used to represent
the location of a farm/farm unit when no polygon information is available. Location
points should be taken at the center of the farm unit. If a farm consists of multiple farmunits, the location point should be taken at the center of the largest farm unit.
Product damaged to the extent that it can no longer be sold.

13 Invasive Species Specialist Group (http://www.issg.org/worst100_species.html)

14 Global Living Wage Coalition, Living Income (https://www.globallivingwage.org/about/living-income/)
15 ILO, 201114 Global Living Wage Coalition, Living Income (https://www.globallivingwage.org/about/living-income/)
15 ILO, 2011

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18

M

Managemen t plan

Mandateduser rights

A detailed overview, set up by the management, of the goals that are set to becompliant with the requirements (for both management, workers, and/or groupmembers) and the respective services necessary to meet these goals. The actions can
include mitigation actions, remediation actions, and services, such as training,technical assistance, access to inputs (e.g. seedlings), and awareness-raising activities.
The Management Plan indicates details on the actions such as the timeline, frequency,
responsible person, target group, and status.
Authorization is given to a supply chain certificate holder to make transactions in the
traceability platform on behalf of a farm certificate holder.

Market price

The price commonly paid for a product of the same quality and origin produced
conventionally (i.e. non-certified).

Massbalance

Administrative traceability allows a certificate holder to claim a product which is notcertified as Rainforest Alliance Certified when the equivalent quantity was sourced as
Rainforest Alliance Certified.

Material
Safety Data
Sheet (MSDS)

A document that provides relevant to occupational safety and health information
relating for the use of the product/substance. This can include but is not limited to
instructions for safe use, handling instructions, appropriate PPE potential hazards
associated with a particular material or product, along with spill-handling procedures.

Maximum
Residue
Level (MRL)
Migrant
worker
Minimum
wage
MultifarmMulti-site

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

A legal limit for the maximum amount of chemical residues permitted on food. MRLs
act as an indicator of the correct use of pesticides.
A person who is migrating within a country and/or across international borders for work.
The minimum amount of remuneration that an employer is required to pay wage
earners for the work performed during a given period, which cannot be reduced bycollective agreement or an individual contract.
Two or more farms owned or rented by one entity whose operations and farming
practices are managed centrally, regardless of certification.
An organization that does not have farming in the scope of its Rainforest Alliancecertification and has an identified central location under which twoor more sites areoperating.

19

N

NativeVegetation

Species, subspecies, or lower taxon occurring within its current natural range, i.e., therange it occupies without introduction or care by humans.
An ecosystem that substantially resembles – in terms of species composition,
structure, and ecological function – one that is or would be found in a given area in
the absence of major human impacts. This includes human-managed ecosystems
where much of the natural species composition, structure, and ecological function
are present. Natural ecosystems include all-natural terrestrial ecosystems (including
natural forests, woodlands, shrublands, savannahs, grasslands, and paramo) and all
natural aquatic ecosystems.

Naturalecosystem

Naturalenemies

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

Natural ecosystems include:• Largely “pristine” natural ecosystems that have not been subject tomajor human impacts in recent history• Regenerated natural ecosystems that were subject to major impacts
in the past (for instance by agriculture, livestock raising, tree
plantations, or intensive logging) but where the main causes ofimpact have ceased or greatly diminished and the ecosystem has
attained species composition, structure and ecological function
similar to prior or other contemporary natural ecosystems;• Managed natural ecosystems (including many ecosystems that
could be referred to as “semi-natural”) where much of theecosystem’s composition, structure, and ecological function arepresent; this includes managed natural forests as well as native
grasslands or rangelands that are, or have historically been, grazed
by livestock• Natural ecosystems that have been partially degraded byanthropogenic or natural causes (e.g., harvesting, fire, climatechange, invasive species, or others) but where the land has notbeen converted to another use and where much of the ecosystem’s
composition, structure, and ecological function remain present orare expected to regenerate naturally or by management forecological restoration
Organisms which kill, decrease the reproductive potential of, or otherwise reduce thenumbers of another organism. Natural enemies in agricultural production are key
components of integrated pest management programs. Important natural enemies
of insect and mite pests include predators, parasites, and pathogens.

20

Forests are land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters anda canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds insitu. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or other land
use.
Where quantitative thresholds (e.g., for tree height or canopy cover) are establishedin sector-wide commitments or national or subnational forest definitions, they may
take precedence over the generic thresholds in this definition.
Natural forests possess many or most of the characteristics of a forest native to thegiven site, including species composition, structure, and ecological function. Naturalforests include:•

Primary forests that have not been subject to major human impacts in recent
history•

Regenerated (second-growth) forests that were subject to major impacts inthe past (for instance by agriculture, livestock raising, tree plantations, orintensive logging) but where the main causes of impact have ceased or
greatly diminished and the ecosystem has attained much of the species
composition, structure, and ecological function of prior or othercontemporary natural ecosystems•

Managed natural forests where much of the ecosystem’s composition,
structure, and ecological function exist in the presence of activities such as:•Harvesting of timber or other forest products, including management topromote high-value species
Low intensity, small-scale cultivation within the forest, such as less-intensive
forms of swidden agriculture in a forest mosaic

Natural forests••

Forests that have been partially degraded by anthropogenic or naturalcauses (e.g., harvesting, fire, climate change, invasive species, or others) but
where the land has not been converted to another use and wheredegradation does not result in the sustained reduction of tree cover below
the thresholds that define a forest or sustained loss of other main elements ofecosystem composition, structure, and ecological function

Natural forests may be delineated using the High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA)
methodology; generally, HCSA land-cover categories high-density forest (HDF),
medium-density forest (MDF), low-density forest (LDF), and young regeneration (YR)
are all considered types of natural forest.

Naturalvegetation

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

Vegetation made up predominantly of native or locally adapted species, resemblingin species composition and structure the vegetation that occurs or would occur inthe absence of human interference. Natural vegetation may be managed (or, in thecase of restoration, established) to incorporate a minority component of exotic
species if these are beneficial for regenerating the land, adapting the ecosystem tocurrent or future climates, and/or enhancing biodiversity. If invasive species arepresent, natural vegetation is managed to reduce their presence.

21

An area where no pesticides are applied. The distance in meters indicates thewidthof the non-application zone depends on the method by which thepesticide is applied, as follows:

Nonapplicationzone1) 5 meters, if applied by mechanical, hand-assisted and targeted application
methods, such as knapsack sprayers, banding, baiting, specific granule
placement,soil or plant injection, seed treatments, and weed wiping.
2) 10 meters, if applied by broadcast or pressurized spray application methods,
such as motorized sprayers or spray booms, air blast sprayers, or foggers (Ultra Low
Volumefogging machines) depending on the equipment’s technicalspecifications.

O

Obsoletepesticides

Obsolete rules,
laws

Occupational
Health and Safety(OHS)
Off-property
accommodation
Overtime

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

Chemicals whose registration has been cancelled, withdrawn or suspended andtherefore must be disposed of.
The term is applied to statutes which have become inoperative by lapse of time,either because the reason for their enactment has passed away, or their subject
matter no longer exists, or they are not applicable to changed circumstances, orare tacitly disregarded by all men, yet without being expressly abrogated orrepealed. Any determination that a rule or law is obsolete, must be priory
approved by Rainforest Alliance.
Health, safety and welfare issues in the workplace which are aimed at making theworkplace better for the worker and other stakeholders. There is a strong focus on
the primary prevention of hazards. OHS can include laws, standards, programs,
and voluntary programs.
Accommodation that is used by temporary workers to stay for the duration of theirtemporary job but that is not necessarily provided by the farm, e.g., official andnon-official tent camps, collective lodging close to the fields.
Hours worked in excess of regular working hours.

22

P

Permanent
workerA person with a work contract that does not have a predetermined end date toemployment.

Personal
Protective
Equipment (PPE)Clothing or equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards that may cause illness
or injury. Such hazards may include chemical, biological, radiological, physical,
electrical, mechanical, or other substances or hazards. Personal protective
equipment may include items such as gloves, safety glasses and shoes, earplugs ormuffs, hard hats, respirators, or coveralls, vests and full body suits.

Pest

Any species, strain or biotype of plant (weed), animal (e.g., nematode, insect,arthropod, rodent), or pathogenic agent (microorganism, like fungus, bacteria andvirus) harmful to plants or plant products.16
Any substance, or a mixture of substances of chemical or biological ingredients,
intended for repelling, destroying or controlling any pest, and including unwanted
species of plants or animals causing harm during or otherwise interfering with the
production, processing, storage, transport or marketing of food, agriculturalcommodities.

Pesticide

Piece work
Polygon(geographic
polygons)

The term includes substances intended for use as a defoliant, desiccant or agent
for thinning fruit or preventing the premature fall of fruit. Pesticides are also used for
application on crops either before or after harvest to protect the commodity fromdeterioration during storage and transport.
Work paid based on the unit performed instead of the time spent working.
A geographic boundary that encloses an area representing a farm/farm unit.
Suchpolygons can be mapped and coded with essential data about the farm(referredto as attributes), such as farm ID, farm area (hectares), production area,
crop, owner, certification status.

Postharvest

The crop production stage immediately following the harvest. This can include
handling, cleaning, storage, sorting, processing, packaging, and transportation.

Pre-harvestinterval

The time between the last pesticide application and the permitted harvest of thetreated crops or in the treated area. This interval varies according to the pesticide
applied.

Producer

A person (either male or female) who owns and/or operates an agricultural
enterprise, either commercially or to sustain him or herself or his/her family.

Protected area

Pruning

An area of land declared or designated by relevant authorities as protected
because of its recognized natural, ecological and/or cultural values to achieve
thelong-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem assets andcultural values. Examples include national parks, wildlife refuges, biological orforestry reserves, private reserves, and areas within UNESCO Biosphere reserves orWorld Heritage Sites. Production might be allowed in a protected underapplicable law, which can constitute a certain zoning in a management plan
(multi-use zones), a certain category of protected areas (IUCN categories V, VI),or permits (for example, admitted farms).
Seasonal or annual activity to remove dead, diseased or non-productive
branches,to manage pests and diseases and/or to manage crop load.

16 Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES,, 2002
(http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y3241E/y3241e00.htm#Contents)

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23

R

Rainforest
Alliance claim

Any reference made about Rainforest Alliance certification or about thesourcing of a Rainforest Alliance certified product or ingredient(s). A claim canbe made on-product or off-product, and/or in relation to the offering or sellingof the product. This can be both business-to-business and business-toconsumer.

Recruitmentfee

Any fee or related cost incurred in the recruitment process in order for workers tosecure employment or placement, regardless of the manner, timing, or location of
their imposition or collection.

Regularworking hours

Regular working hours are the number of hours that can be legally worked during theday, week, month and/or year, excluding overtime.
Overtime work means hours worked in excess of regular working hours.17

Rejuvenation

Crop maintenance activities that include heavy pruning or stumping. These activities
are typically carried out on a cycle of 2 - 10 years with the aim to rejuvenate some or
all main stems / primary branches. Depending on the cycle, it is applied to 10 to 50
percent of the certified crop acreage.
Terms used interchangeably or in combination with one another to refer to both theprocess of providing redress for a negative impact and the substantive outcomes thatcan counteract, or make good, the negative impact.

Remedy,remediation

These outcomes may take a range of forms such as apologies, restitution,
rehabilitation, restoration, financial or non-financial compensation, and punitive
sanctions (whether criminal or administrative, such as fines), as well as the preventionof harm through, for example, injunctions or guarantees of non-repetition.

Remnant
forest trees

Trees on the farm that was part of the original natural ecosystem on the land andhave a high value for biodiversity. They are usually older and larger than other treesthat have been planted and managed within the agricultural or agroforestry system.

Renovation

The action of removing old trees and other plants and planting new vegetation as areplacement.

Responsible
business
conduct

Ensuring the protection of the environment, people, and society is integrated within
the core of business practice and conduct. Responsible business conduct entails,
above all compliance with laws, such as those on respecting human rights,
environmental protection, labor relations, and financial accountability, even wherethese are poorly enforced by legal means.18

Restricted
Entry Intervals(REI)
Retaliation

Riparian buffer

The waiting period between a pesticide application and the time when it ispermissible to enter the field again without protective clothing or equipment.19
Thisinterval varies according to the pesticide applied.
The act of an employer punishing an employee for engaging in legally protected
activity. Retaliation can include any negative job action, such as demotion,
discipline, firing, salary reduction, or job or shift reassignment. But retaliation can also
be more subtle like changing tasks.
An area of permanent vegetation adjacent to an aquatic ecosystem where crops
and livestock are not present.

17 International Labor Conference, 107th Session, 2018, General Study concerning instruments on working time
18 OECD, Definition of Responsible Business Conduct, Policy Framework for Investment, 2015. https://www.oecd.org/investment/toolkit/
19 National Pesticides Information Center (NPIC), USA (http://npic.orst.edu)

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24

A risk is the chance something negative happens, combined with the extent of
the impact.

Risk

Risk
assessment

Rotation(Crop)

Risk mitigation measures are actions taken to prevent such events fromhappening, and/or to diminish their effects.
A systematic process to identify the issues that could prevent the producers fromcomplying with the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard requirements
and reaching the expected sustainability outcomes. The Rainforest Alliance hasdeveloped a tool to support this analysis (Annex 3 Risk Assessment Tool). The toolconsists of a basic risk assessment, to be conducted in the preparation phase,covering the main topics of the standard, and an in-depth risk assessment to be
conducted in the first year of certification. The in-depth risk assessment is for the
improvement requirements that refer to this assessment, such as gender equality andassess-and address. An in-depth climate change risk assessment can be carried out
as a self-selected improvement. Both the basic and in-depth risk assessment are to berepeated at least once every three years. The risk assessment tool provides an
overview of measures that can be taken to mitigate the risks.
The practice of successively planting different crops over several growing seasons on
the same plot.

S
Water that is of such quality that humans can consume it without risk of immediate or
long-term harm.
Safe drinking water parameters based on the WHO are as follows:

Safe drinking
water

Parameter
E. coli or thermo-tolerant coliform bacteria
Chlorine residue or residue fromother treatment disinfectants
pH
SodiumNitrates
Sulphates

Value
Not detectable in any 100-ml sample
Maximum 0.5 mg/L
6.5 to 8.5
Maximum 200 mg/L
Maximum 10 mg/L as nitrates

Maximum 250 mg/L
Less than or equal to 5 NTU(Nephelometric Turbidity Unit)

Turbidity

Sanitary,
Sanitation

The provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine and faeces.
The word 'sanitation' also applies to the maintenance of hygienic conditions, throughservices such as garbage collection and wastewater disposal.20

Seasonal
workers

See temporary workers

Segregation

A traceability process in which the certified product is kept separate from the noncertified product, both physically and on documentation. This segregation occurs
during all receipt, processing, packaging, storage, and transportation stages of the
supply chain. There is no mixing of non-certified product with certified product. Thismeans that the full product content is certified, although it can come from different
certified sources/farms, including other countries of origin.

20 World Health Organization, Health Topics: Sanitation (http://www.who.int/topics/sanitation/en/)

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25

An evaluation of the compliance against the applicable requirements of the
Sustainable Agriculture Standard conducted by the certificate holder. It is carried out
annually and includes the compliance of subcontractors, service providers, and labor
providers (where applicable).

Selfassessment

For large farms that are members of a mixed group, the self-assessment can be done
either through an internal inspection by group management or a self-assessment by
the management of the large farm.
For groups, the self-assessment includes the internal inspections of the group members
and the self-assessment of the group management against the applicablerequirements.

ServiceproviderAn organization or individual contracted by farm management or producer to carryout specific tasks included in the scope of their Rainforest Alliance certification, within
the physical limits of the farm. By definition, service providers do not take legal
ownership of the Rainforest Alliance certified product.

SewageWastewater and waste solids that contain fecal matter. Any wastewater stream that
includes discharge from toilets is considered as sewage, whether or not it is mixed withgreywater.

Sex

The different biological and physiological characteristics of males and females, suchas reproductive organs, chromosomes, hormones, etc. It is universal and mostly
unchanging, without surgery.21

Sexualharassment

Sex-based behavior that is unwelcome and offensive to its recipient. For sexual
harassment to exist these two conditions must be present:▪
‘Quid Pro Quo’ when a job benefit - such as a pay rise, a promotion, or evencontinued employment - is made conditional on the victim acceding to
demands to engage in some form of sexual behavior▪
A hostile working environment in which the conduct creates conditions thatare intimidating or humiliating for the victim
Behavior that qualifies as sexual harassment:▪
Physical: violence, touching, unnecessary proximity▪
Verbal: Comments and questions about the appearance, lifestyle, sexual
orientation, offensive phone calls▪
Non-Verbal: Whistling, sexually-suggestive gestures, display of sexual materials22

21 World Health Organization: Gender, equity and human rights, Glossary of terms and tools (https://www.who.int/gender-equity-

rights/knowledge/glossary/en/)John Hopkins University Affiliate: Gender Analysis Toolkit for health Systems, Gender Concepts and Definitions(https://gender.jhpiego.org/analysistoolkit/gender-concepts-and-definitions/)
22 ILO, Sexual Harassment at Work Factsheet (https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/publication/wcms_decl_fs_96_en.pdf)

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The following table specifies Rainforest Alliance optimal shade coverage parameters
for percent canopy cover and diversity of native tree species.
The percentage of coverage is based on aerial coverage of shade trees, excluding
crop trees, during the time of the year when tree foliage is most dense.
These parameters can be superseded by national guidelines, based onrecommendations of national research institutes or government agencies.

Shadecoverageand species
diversityreferenceparameters

Shadetolerant crop

Shade Tolerant Crop

Regions

Minimum
CanopyCover (%)

Min. No. of shade tree
species per hectare

CoffeeAfrica, Asia, Latin
America, and the
Caribbean

40%

12

Cocoa

West Africa, East
Africa, Southeast Asia,
Latin America, andthe Caribbean

40%

5

Clove, Vanilla

East Africa

40%

12

PepperSouth Asia

20%

12

A crop species that is adapted to live under full or partial shade.

Sharecropper

Tenant farmer who works the land of a landowner for a share of the crop or apercentage of the sales of the crop.

Shipment

The physical transport of Rainforest Alliance Certified product from one to thenext certificate holder.

Site

A geographically separate entity belonging to a certificate holder (farm or
supplychain) where a specific number and type of operations are conducted.

Small farmSoilassessment

Small farms primarily rely on family or household labor or workforce exchange withother members of the community. They might hire temporary workers for seasonaltasks or even hire (few) permanent workers. Small farmers are usually organized inagroup to be certified and rely on the Group Management for record
developmentand record keeping.
A systematic process to analyze the conditions of the soil by observing its
characteristics such as the soil texture, soil structure, soil-hydrology, soil profile,
topography, organic matter, vegetation aspects, land uses. The purpose of the soil
assessment is to support the crop choice and soil and water management
measures.The soil matrix in the guidance document (Guidance document J: Soil
Fertility and Conservation) provides information for conducting the soil assessment.

Spray drift

The aerial movement, and unintentional deposit, of agrochemicals outside the target
area.

Subcontractor

An organization or individual contracted to carry out one or more specificoperationson the certified products, for example, processing, storing, packaging,
and/or labelling products.

Supply chain
actor

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

Any organization that relates to the certified product from its production up to its
finalsale.

27

Supply Chain
Risk
Assessment(SCRA)

Sustainability
Differential(SD)

Sustainability
Investments(SI)

Part of the registration process, consisting of a series of questions based on which
theRainforest Alliance Certification Platform evaluates the potential risks of a supply
chain certificate holder's operations to determine the type and frequency ofverification required.
A mandatory payment of an additional monetary amount to farm certificate
holders by buyers of the Rainforest Alliance Certified product, on top of the market
price and irrespective of any other (quality) premiums and differentials. The
Sustainability Differential is paid to (multi-) group, individual or multi-farm certificate
holders. In (multi-) group settings, the group management fully redistributes theSustainability Differential to producers on a pro-rata basis. In individual or multi-farmsettings, farm management can spend the Sustainability Differential to the benefit of
the a) producer and/or b) the workers.
The Sustainability Investments are cash or in-kind investments from buyers ofRainforestAlliance Certified products to farm certificate holders for the specificpurpose of helping them meet the Farm Requirements of the Sustainable AgricultureStandard.
These investments include those that are needed to comply with core andimprovement requirements of the Sustainable Agriculture Standard as well as thecostof achieving certification (i.e. implementation of the Digital InternalManagement System internal inspections and audit costs). The investments must go
towards the needs identified by farm certificate holders in their investment plans,
and buyers mustreport on the investments they make.

T

Temporaryworker

A worker with a contract, or expected work period, of fewer than 12 months.

Threatened
animals andplantsSpecies designated as threatened or endangered by national laws or classification
systems and/or designated on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as CriticallyEndangered, Endangered or Vulnerable and/or listed in Appendices I, II, or III of theConvention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES).

ThresholdlevelsThe maximum level of damage (or symptoms of damage) by a pest or disease
occurring on/in a plant or plant population, that can be accepted before particularmeasures should be taken to control the pest or disease. If the damage increases the
economic losses will be superior to the costs of control.

Traceability
platform

A digital Rainforest Alliance platform to report transactions and activities of certified
volumes throughout the supply chain.

Traceability
type

Method used for handling certified volumes and tracing them back to their origin, forexample: mass balance, segregation, and identity preserved.

V

Vegetative
barriers

Vertebrate

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

Barriers of plants designed to mitigate drift of pesticide spraying and having thefollowing characteristics:• Barriers are at least as high as the crop or, in the case of ground-based pesticide
applications, the height of the spray equipment’s application valves over the ground,whichever is higher.
• Barriers are composed of plants that maintain their foliage all year, but which arepermeable to airflow, allowing the barrier to capture pesticide drops.
An organism distinguished by the possession of a backbone or spinal column, including
mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.

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Vulnerable
groupGroups that experience a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion than the general
population. Ethnic minorities, indigenous populations, migrants, disabled people,
isolated elderly people, women and children often face difficulties that can lead tofurther social exclusion, such as low levels of education and unemployment or
underemployment.

W

Wages

Waste

Remuneration or earnings, expressed in terms of money and fixed by mutual
agreement or by national laws or regulations. Wages are payable by an employer to aworker for work done or to be done or for services rendered or to be rendered.
The unwanted or undesired material or substance. It is also referred to as rubbish, trash,
garbage, or junk depending upon the type of material and the regional terminology.
Most waste is comprised of paper, plastic, metals, glass, food waste, organic material,
faeces and wood. Includes hazardous materials. It covers domestic or industrial waste,
rejected products, construction debris or rubble, soil and stones from excavations,rubbish and soil from cleaning or preparing land.
Any water that has been affected and used for human use form domestic, industrial,commercial or agricultural purposes.

Wastewater

Wastewaterparameters

Wastewater from processing operations is water has been adversely affected in quality
by industrial processes and originating from processing operations. These include mills(such as coffee wet mills, palm oil mills, sugar cane mills), washing operations (such as
fruit or vegetable or milking facilities), or packing plants (such as juice or puree
factories).
The Rainforest Alliance parameters for wastewater discharge into aquatic ecosystems
are:Wastewater Quality Parameter
Value
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5)< 750 mg/l
Total suspended solids< 50 mg/l
Grease and oils
< 50 mg/l
pH
Between 5.5 and
9.0
The Rainforest Alliance wastewater parameters for irrigation are:Wastewater Quality Parameter
Value
Intestinal nematodes (arithmetic mean No. of<1eggs per liter)
Fecal coliforms (geometric mean No. per 100≤ 1000ml)

Wastewaterfromprocessing
operations
Wildlife
Wildlife pest

Worker

Water that has been adversely affected in quality by processing operations such as
mills (e.g., coffee wet mills, palm oil mills, sugar cane mills), washing operations or
packing or processing plants (such as juice or puree factories).
All terrestrial vertebrate species except those that are primarily kept by humans aslivestock or pets.
Any wildlife vertebrate which is harmful to plants or plant products.
A person who performs labor in return for a monetary amount. A worker encompasses
all types of persons working irrespective of their contractual status, such aspermanent, temporary, seasonal, migrant, piece rate workers, documented,
undocumented, as well as hired through a labor provider, persons in training, (group)
management staff, including interns and apprentices, and also persons temporarily
absent from a job or enterprise at which they recently worked for illness, parental
leave, holiday, training, or industrial dispute.23

23 ILO Convention Violence And Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190)

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

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Workerorganization

Workerrepresentative

Workplaceviolence andharassment

Any voluntary, independent organization of workers for furthering and defending theirrights and interests.24

Persons who are recognized as such under national law or company practice,whether they are:•Trade union representatives, namely representatives designated or electedby trade unions or by the members of such unions• Elected representatives, namely representatives who are freely elected by
the workers of the undertaking in accordance with provisions of nationallaws or regulations or of collective agreements and whose functions do notinclude activities which are recognized as the exclusive prerogative of tradeunions in the country concerned25
The term “violence and harassment” in the world of work refers to a range of
unacceptable behaviors and practices, or threats thereof, whether a single
occurrence or repeated, that aim at, result in, or are likely to result in physical,
psychological, sexual or economic harm, and includes gender-based violence andharassment
The term “gender-based violence and harassment” means violence and harassment
directed at persons because of their sex or gender, or affecting persons of aparticular sex or gender disproportionately, and includes sexual harassment.26

Y
Young farmers
and workers

Young worker

A person who is no more than 35 years of age and takes active control of their farmbusiness or agricultural holding as head or owner of that holding.
A child between the minimum age of employment (15 years/in some countries 14
years) and 17 years, performing non-hazardous and age-appropriate work, in linewith ILO Conventions 138 and 182.
See definition of child work

24 Adapted from the definition in ILO Convention Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize, (ILO Convention Violence

And Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) Article 10
25 ILO Recommendation, Workers' Representatives, 1971 (No. 143)
26 ILO Convention Violence And Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190)

SA-GL-SD-1-V1.2

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