Agricultural production more than tripled between 1960 and 2015. While the productivity-enhancing technologies of the Green Revolution partially decoupled increased production from cropland extension, recent decades have still seen increased use of land, water and other natural resources for agricultural purposes. Since 1990, 420 million hectares of forest have been loss, mainly because of the conversion of forests for both commercial and subsistence agriculture. 

For more than ten years, governments, the private sector and civil society have been strongly committed to halting deforestation. The Consumer Goods Forum resolution of 2010, and the New York Declaration on Forests, established in 2015, are major milestones that evidence global efforts. Notably, this year, the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use was signed, stimulating the collective dynamic launched in New York seven years ago. Also introduced during COP26, is the Forests Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) roadmap, outlines actions to encourage sustainable development and the trade of agricultural commodities while continuing to manage forests and other ecosystems sustainably. Many of these transversal or sectorial initiatives currently aim to switch to models of “deforestation-free” or “forest-positive” agriculture. 

Private sector action will be key to successfully transforming supply chains. While many companies have taken action, companies with commitments to zero deforestation are still in the minority.  Integrating forest issues into responsible business policies and practices, notably through due diligence processes, was the focus of a webinar organized by FAO’s REDD+ Team and Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), on 2021, September 22nd. This webinar was the second in a three-part series on “Halting deforestation: Tools and approaches for forest positive commodity value chains.” It explored these concepts with a diverse range of invited speakers from international organizations, national governments and more.  

FAO has long promoted the development of responsible business practices in the agriculture sector. This work enhances the use of the OECD-FAO Guidance for responsible agricultural supply chains, which proposes a five-step due diligence process for enterprises to identify, assess, mitigate and prevent the actual and potential adverse impacts of their activities, as well as account for how they address those risks in their business decision-making. While companies are increasingly familiar with this process, many of them still struggle in addressing the specific risks related to deforestation or forest degradation—FAO and OECD are developing a tool to address this gap.  

Similarly, the European Commission is aiming to minimize the risks of deforestation and forest degradation. Notably, the Commission is preparing new legal measures, which address such risks associated with products placed on the EU market. Due diligence is expected to become a cornerstone of the new regulation. Broad aspects of this regulation, that are currently under discussion, were considered during the webinar, including definitions of forests and deforestation, the choice of a cut-off date, the list of commodities to be covered and a benchmarking of producer countries according to deforestation risks. As a supporting measure, forest partnerships to tackle deforestation will be signed between the Commission and producer countries. 

Other invited speakers also presented practical experiences of partnerships between the public and private sectors which promote responsible business conduct and address the risks of deforestation and forest degradation associated with agricultural value chains.  Examples of close collaboration between the public and private sectors to eliminate deforestation were also presented, such as the ‘zero-deforestation’ agreements in Colombia (for palm oil, cattle meat, dairy products, coffee and cocoa) and the Cocoa and Forests Initiative in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Both of these initiatives include consideration for local contexts and thus have benefited from strong stakeholder engagement. These initiatives also stress that responsibility cannot only fall on industry and traders, as government support is critical to achieve deforestation-free supply chains.  

Effective information flow among stakeholders and clear definitions of shared objectives were also identified as key conditions for success. An example of this can be found in Costa Rica, where the “Sustainability map,” an International Trade Center platform, is used by the government to support companies in their efforts to implement responsible business conduct. Together with the national label “Esencial Costa Rica,” the platform gives visibility to companies complying with sustainability criteria, converting their efforts into a value of differentiation and competitiveness on international markets. Development of platforms to facilitate information exchange on timber legality and market requirements is also an action supported by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). Other ITTO approaches to improving legality, governance and due diligence included technological tools for increased traceability and national forest information systems, work on legal frameworks and elaboration of guidelines for producers and companies. 

Additionally, legislation and best practices must remain consistent across supply chain actors, as well as align with and leverage existing initiatives, platforms and investments. To this point, efforts have already been made to harmonize practices and policies in the agro-forestry sector. The Rainforest Alliance, for example, co-led a coalition of 26 civil society groups to develop the Accountability Framework to standardize the integration of deforestation, ecosystem conversion and human rights abuses in due diligence processes.  Also explored were the impacts definitions of key concepts, like forests and deforestation, have on the acceptability, implementation and results of policies that address deforestation associated with agriculture. The French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development recommended alternatives or complementary options to due diligence, such as conditions included in trade agreements or certification systems.  

Deforestation is a complex problem that will require more than one dynamic solution.  As evidenced by this webinar, urgent action has been taken at multiple levels, with many initiatives already underway. But countries, international organizations and private businesses should continue to look to each other for guidance and increase efforts by building from each other’s experiences.  

Authors: 

Serena Fortuna, Forestry Officer and OiC REDD+ Team, FAO Forestry Division, [email protected] 

Caroline Merle, Forestry Officer, REDD+ team, FAO Forestry Division, [email protected]