Impact of Certification System on Smallhold Coffee Farms’ Income Distribution in Vietnam

Arabica coffee is the most critical plantation product for Timor-Leste. It is sold on regional, national and international markets to provide income and foreign exchange to rural areas. This study aims to analyze the sustainability of coffee cultivation from an economic perspective. Specifically, we compared the income levels of certified and non-certified coffee farmers and the level of participation in farmer group activities between certified and non-certified coffee farmers. We achieved this through Arabica coffee growers (Coffea Arabica L.). Analyze the indirect benefits. The research site was selected by purposive Sampling, considering that most of the livelihoods of residents in the region are coffee farmers. The study was conducted from July to December 2022. This type of research is descriptive with a quantitative approach. The number of samples used was 180 respondent farmers calculated using the Slovin formula so that the number of pieces for certified and non-certified farmers in each region was 30 people, with the sampling technique used purposive Sampling. The analytical method used in this study is qualitative and quantitative descriptive analysis. The data processing method is performed by tabulation and classification on Microsoft Excel software. The results show that the income of certified coffee growers is higher than that of uncertified households. The income obtained by certified coffee farmers amounted to $748.03 per hectare, and B/C amounted to 1.57 for the participation rate. Certified coffee farmers are more active in group activities than non-certified ones, with the highest participation rate in the Ermera district area. Indirect revenue obtained by coffee farmers comes from the value of carbon storage, with an average contribution value ranging from $85.28-98.90 or equivalent to 54.35-82.92% of the total revenue per hectare

Income distribution needs greater attention because an uneven distribution of income can leave farmers in a more vulnerable position to the effects of production risk. Many prior studies have focused on the impact of certification on income levels and limited focus on its effect on income distribution. Therefore, this study aims to compare the income distribution of certified and non-certified coffee farmers in West Lampung Regency, which was purposively chosen due to its status as the largest producer of coffee in Lampung Province. Using convenient sampling, 140 coffee farmers were surveyed, consisting of 70 farmers with and 70 without certifications. The data was analysed using the Gini ratio and World Bank’s version analysis. The findings showed that the income distribution for coffee farming and household income distribution was even by Gini ratio approaches. Similarly, with the World Bank’s version, coffee farming and household income distribution are classed as low inequality. In contrast with coffee farming and household income distribution, income outside of coffee farming distribution was unevenly distributed, showing that side jobs have a negative bias toward income distribution. These results suggest that the benefits provided to certified coffee farmers, such as regular training, contributed to coffee farmers’ income equity.

This research purposes to study the benefits of Rainforest Alliance (RA) certificate in developing the sustainability of coffee farming from the aspects of economy, environmental, social and to analyze the factors that affect farmers to adopt sustainable coffee farming. The study was conducted in Pulau Panggung Sub Districts of Tanggamus Regency. This study compares the coffee farm management of certified farmers and noncertified farmers. There are 39 farmers chosen from each of coffee farming types. The benefits of RA certified for sustainability of coffee farming based on the increasing productivity, cost efficiency, and income of farmers were analyzed by t-test. The different test of Mann-Whitney U test is used to analyze the assessment of coffee farming management. The logit analysis method is used to analyze the factors that influence the farmers’ decisions. The research results showed that from the economy aspect, RA certification had benefits in terms of farmers management practices to increase the quality and cost control of coffee, but it had not yet benefit to increase the income, productivity and cost efficiency of coffee farming. Similarly, RA certification had benefits in terms of environmental and social, in which the results of the assessment of sustainable coffee farm management by certified farmers were significantly higher. Farmers' income and participation in RA certification program had positive effect on farmers to implement sustainable coffee farming. Key words : certification, coffee farming, sustainability

Purpose: Improved pigeon pea varieties were promoted in semi-arid areas of Kenya to improve smallholder pigeon pea production systems resilience to climate change. However, the impact of adoption is unknown. This study was carried out to evaluate the impact of adoption on farming households’ net farm returns in semi-arid South Eastern Kenya in the context of adaptation to climate change. The objectives were to (i)describe farmer’s perceptions on production of improved varieties of pigeon peas as an adaptation strategy to climate change, (ii) evaluate the impact of the adoption on household’s net returns. Propensity score matching approach was used to assess the impact of the adoption.
 Methodology: The study used cross sectional data gathered through household survey to evaluate the impact of adoption on farming households’ net farm returns in semi-arid South Eastern Kenya in the context of adaptation to climate change.. The study was conducted in semi-arid zones of Machakos County in South Eastern Kenya (SEK) namely Masinga, Mavoko and Mwala Wards. The areas were purposively selected for semi-arid semi-arid climatic conditions and dominant pigeon pea production.The study adopts the counterfactual approach and propensity score matching method to evaluate the impact of adopting improved pigeon peas on household net farm income. Data was analyzed using STATA 13.0 statistical package.
 Findings: The results showed that 33 percent of the sampled households had adopted production of improved pigeon peas and they perceived adoption of the technology as an adaptation strategy to climate change viewed through tolerance to drought, pest and diseases, increased crop yield and shortened crop growth period. Improved pigeon peas significantly increased farmers’ net income, the adopter got a net farm income of KES 30,710 per acre per year that was KES 18, 631 more than non-adopting households.
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommends that County Governments facilitate farmers to produce pigeon pea seeds through improved access to seed and linkage to reliable market for their farm produce to increase their farm income.

<p><em>Grafting coffee is one of the rejuvenation activities on unproductive plants to become productive with the aim of increasing production. This study aims to determine: 1) coffee farmers' perceptions of the grafting system in coffee cultivation, 2) coffee production produced before and after the grafting system in coffee cultivation, 3) factors related to farmers' perceptions on the Grafting system in coffee cultivation, 4) the relationship between coffee farmers' perceptions of the Grafting system and coffee production, 5) the relationship between coffee farmers' perceptions of the Grafting system and coffee farming income. This research was conducted in North Dempo District, Pagar Alam City, South Sumatra Province. This study is a quantitative study with a sample of 64 coffee farmers determined by the formula for determining the sample (Sugiarto, 2003). The research data collection was carried out from March to April 2022. The method used was a survey method. Research data were analyzed descriptively, parametric statistics, and non-parametric statistics. The results of this study stated that: 1) coffee farmers' perceptions of the grafting system in coffee cultivation were classified as quite good, 2) there was a significant difference in production from before applying the grafting system, which was 886.16 kg and after applying the grafting system, which was 1.753 kg. . 3) the factors that are significantly related to the perception of coffee farmers on the grafting system in coffee cultivation are the length of farming and the availability of entres, while age, education level, farmer knowledge, farmer social interaction and ownership status are not significantly related, 4) coffee farmers perception on the grafting system is not significantly related to the production of coffee farming 5) Coffee farmers' perception of the grafting system is not significantly related to coffee farming income.</em></p><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p><p><strong><em>Keywords</em></strong><em>: Perception, Production, Coffee Grafting System</em></p>

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This study seeks to determine the effect of compliance with GlobalGAP standards and it implications for access to export market and incomes for smallholder pineapple farmers in the Central region of Ghana. The study was conducted in two pineapple growing districts; Mfantsiman Municipality and Gomoa East district. Primary data were collected through interviews using structured questionnaires. Simple random sampling was used to select 63 pineapple farmers (i.e., 30 Global GAP certified and 33 non-certified farmers from pineapple producer groups in the two districts. Analysis of the marketing channels reveal that market women were the major buyers of pineapple commanding 69.7% of noncertified farmers produce and 30% of the produce of the certified (i.e., compliant) farmers. Although 20% of the certified farmers sold their produce to exporters against 12.1% for non-certified farmers, it cannot be concluded that farmers’ access to the export market has been enhanced by complying with the Global GAP standard. However, all buyers preferred produce from certified farmers to non-certified farmers. On the economic performance of GlobalGAP certified and non-certified pineapple farmers, the empirical results reveal that the Global GAP certified pineapple farmers obtained GHS 15,027.57 for growing one hectare of pineapple while non-certified pineapple farmers made a net average income of GHS 6,256.36. These results imply that the Global GAP certified pineapple farmers obtained 2.4 times more net average income than non-certified pineapple growers. The results of this study have implications for pineapple farmers and policy makers in developing countries.

Aims: This study investigated the effect of cocoa certification programmes on farmers’ compliance with social sustainability activities. The aim was to determine whether participation in certification schemes enhances social practices such as promoting education, preventing child labor, engaging in cooperative activities, and adopting inclusive employment policies. Study Design: A simple multi-stage and proportionate random design was used. Place and Duration of Study: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 using a multi-stage sampling procedure to select 111 cocoa farmers from five key local government areas in Osun State, Nigeria. Methodology: Data were collected through a structured interview schedule employing a 5-point Likert scale, with the instrument’s reliability confirmed by a Guttman coefficient of 0.81. T-test was used to determine the significance of the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Results: The analysis revealed that farmers enrolled in the certification programme exhibited significantly higher social sustainability involvement compared to non-participants. Specifically, the mean involvement score for participating farmers was 36.36 ± 3.25, while non-participants scored 33.84 ± 5.53; the difference was statistically significant (t (109) = 2.99, p < 0.05). Furthermore, certified farmers consistently demonstrated stronger commitments in key areas: they scored higher on sending children to school (4.70 ± 0.55 vs. 4.26 ± 1.15) and on the prevention of child labor (4.51 ± 0.59 vs. 4.06 ± 1.22). Enhanced participation in cooperative meetings and more inclusive employment practices were also observed among certification programme participants. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study provides robust evidence that cocoa certification programmes positively influence farmers’ engagement in social sustainability practices. It is recommended that policymakers and stakeholders expand access to certification and training programmes to improve participation among non-certified farmers, thereby fostering greater adherence to ethical labor practices and broader socio-economic development within the cocoa farming sector.

When farm chemical use is restricted, gross farm income rises, but net income may fall. A 10-sector applied general equilibrium model was used to arrive at this assessment. Compared are a chemical use tax, an input restriction on chemicals, and a farm sales restriction imposed on input suppliers. The tax and sales restrictions reduce net income because of rising costs, while the input restriction holds the potential for raising net farm income.

Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) have emerged as a promising market-based response to global sustainability challenges within agricultural supply chains. By offering certifications for compliance with sustainability criteria, VSS aim to incentivize more responsible agricultural practices, especially in tropical commodity sectors such as coffee. Although the uptake of certification has grown substantially, particularly in the coffee sector, the effectiveness of these standards in delivering both economic and ecological benefits remains contested. Empirical evidence shows mixed outcomes, with some studies reporting modest gains for farmers or improvements in sustainable practices, and others finding little or no impact, especially beyond the farm level or across both economic and environmental dimensions. Moreover, research has disproportionately focused on third-party certifications, leaving in-house standards largely understudied. This dissertation addresses these gaps by exploring whether VSS can simultaneously support farmer livelihoods and promote ecological sustainability, contributing to a better understanding of their role in shaping more equitable and resilient food systems. The first essay of this dissertation examines the effect of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) on agricultural productivity and forest conservation among Rwandese coffee farmers. It relies on a stratified random sample of certified and non-certified farmers collected between November 2022 and January 2023 in Western and Southern provinces. While VSS aim to promote sustainability by establishing guidelines for improved agricultural practices and environmental protection, their effectiveness in enhancing coffee production while specifically mitigating forest degradation remains unclear. This essay first estimates the effect of certifications on productivity growth, considering its two main sources: technical efficiency and technical change. Additionally, it assesses whether VSS protect vegetation health and density at the landscape level, providing empirical evidence on broader environmental effects beyond individual farms. Finally, it explores the underlying pathways through which certification influences conservation outcomes, distinguishing between productivity-driven land-sparing effects and regulatory mechanisms enforced by sustainability standards. This essay contributes to the broader debate on how market-based sustainability initiatives impact smallholder agricultural systems, highlighting opportunities to reconcile certification programs’ economic and environmental effects. The second essay of this dissertation examines the economic and ecological effects of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS), focusing on in-house certifications (e.g., Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices) and third-party certifications (e.g., Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade). It relies on a stratified random sample of certified and non-certified farmers surveyed between November 2022 and January 2023 in Western and Southern provinces and a subsample of farmers for ecological data collection. While VSS have been widely adopted as a sustainability tool in global agri-food supply chains, most research has focused on third-party certifications, leaving the impact of company-led (in-house) certifications largely unexplored. This essay addresses this gap by analyzing how in-house and third-party certifications affect the coffee plot’s economic performance (gross revenue, net revenue, costs, yield) and ecological outcomes (vegetation structure and animal diversity). It also examines whether different VSS schemes help balance economic and environmental trade-offs. This essay contributes to debates on corporate responsibility in sustainable supply chains and informs policies on aligning certification programs with rural development and conservation efforts. The third and final essay of this dissertation examines the relationship between VSS and farm household resilience among coffee farmers in Rwanda. It moves beyond traditional outcome indicators to assess whether VSS can help farmers sustain consistently high levels of economic, dietary, and environmental outcomes in the face of shocks. It relies on two rounds of a stratified random sample of certified and non-certified farmers collected between November 2022 and January 2023 and November 2023 and January 2024 in Western and Southern Province. While VSS aim to promote sustainability in agricultural supply chains, their effectiveness in long-term outcomes, such as preventing farmers from falling into poverty, poor diet quality, and environmental degradation following short-term disruptions, remains unclear. This study addresses this gap by analyzing whether VSS contribute to economic, dietary, and environmental resilience, offering insights into the discussion on the effectiveness of VSS as a rural development instrument and resilience-enhancing mechanism in smallholder farming systems.

A certification program named UTZ Certified has the indicator of the certification process. This program is considered to have a positive impact on cacao farmers due to the increasing quality, productivity, and profitability of farmers. This study aims to analyze product certification impact on cacao farmers’ productivity and income in Guliling Village, Kalukku Regency, Mamuju, West Sulawesi Province. Analytical techniques used are farm productivity analysis, income analysis, R/C ratio, and t-test. The result shows that the land productivity of certified farmers is higher than the non-certified farmers. The average income per year for certified farmers is also higher than the non-certified ones, with each value of their R/C ratio is more than 1. The t-test result shows a significant difference between certified farmers and non- certified farmers.

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Coffee is one of Indonesia's main economic activities for foreign exchange. An increase in exports of 8.11%, and a decline in imports of 58% in 2019, opened up export opportunities and large domestic markets. The government has implemented efforts to improve coffee farmers' welfare, one of which is agricultural business partnerships that can solve smallholder problems in developing countries and expand subsistence or traditional agriculture to high production value and export-oriented. This research aimed to analyze (1) the factors influencing coffee farmers' participation in agricultural partnerships and (2) the impact of the agricultural partnership on coffee farmers' performance in Simalungun Regency, North Sumatra Province. The Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique analyzed the partnership's influence on coffee farming and agricultural income, productivity, and prices. The results showed that number of dependents household members and land area influence farmers' partnership participation. Participation increases coffee farming and agricultural income, productivity, and prices.

Coffee (Coffea spp) is an important and emerging cash crop having potential to provide farmers employment and income generation opportunities. This crop is well adapted to the climatic conditions of mid-hills of Nepal. Thus, majority of the farmers are attracted towards cultivation of coffee because of demands in national and international market. Coffee is now becoming integral part of farming system in rural areas. However, information on performance of coffee and farmers response has not been well documented. Therefore, we undertook the present work to analyze demography, ethnicity, household occupation, literacy status, average land holding, coffee cultivation area, livelihood and sources of income of coffee growers, production and productivity, pricing, cropping pattern of the coffee and problesm faced by them in mid hill district of Kavrepalanchowk (hereafter ‘Kavre’) and Lalitpur Districts. All the samples were taken randomly and selected from coffee producing cooperative of Kavre and Lalitpur. Our analysis showed that the male farmer dominant over female on adopting coffee cultivation in both districts with higher value in Kavre. Brahmin and Chetri ethnic communities were in majority over others in adopting the coffee cultivation. Literate farmers were more dominant over illiterates on adopting the coffee cultivation, The mean land holding was less, ranging from 0.15 to 2.30 ha for coffee cultivation, the history of coffee cultivation in Kavre showed that highest number of farmers were engaged in coffee farming from last 16 years. The mean yield of fresh cherry was 1027.20 kg/ha in Kavre, while it was 1849.36 kg/ha in Lalitpur. The study revealed that majority of the coffee plantations were between 6-10 years old. The major problems facing by coffee farmers were diseases spread, lack of irrigation facility and drying of plants. Despite of that the coffee farming was one of the rapidly emerging occupations among the farmers in both district of Nepal.

Certification is an activity to foster farmers about good and right cultivation in accordance with established standards to improve quality and encourage farmers to care about the environment which then improves social and economic resilience so that farming can be sustainable. This study aims to (1) describe the implementation of the product certification program carried out by the Swiss contact with cocoa farmers in Guliling Village, Kalukku District, Mamuju Regency; and (2) analyze the impact of product certification on the productivity and income of cocoa farmers in Guliling Village, Kalukku District, Mamuju Regency. Data analysis techniques used were analysis of the application of cocoa certification, analysis of farm productivity, farm income, R / C ratio, and t (t-test). The results of this study indicate that the UTZ certified cocoa certification program process has behavioral guidelines that must be adhered to, including management blocks, blocking agricultural practices, blocking work and residence conditions, and environmental blocks. The results of land productivity of certified cocoa farmers are higher than non-certified cocoa farmers. The average income for one year of certification cocoa farmers is also higher than non-certified cocoa farmers with the calculation of the R / C ratio of more than one each. The t-test results show that there are significant differences between certified and non-certified cocoa farmers. Keywords: certification, productivity, income, cocoa farmers.