Paper short abstract:

Certification schemes (CS) set and monitor voluntary standards to make agricultural production socially sustainable and agricultural trade fairer for producers and workers. Certification increases prices and income from produce, but not wages or total household income, and evidence is very limited

Paper long abstract:

Certification schemes (CS) set and monitor voluntary standards to make agricultural production socially sustainable and agricultural trade fairer for producers and workers. This paper presents the results of a systematic review to assess whether certification schemes work for the wellbeing of agricultural producers and workers in low- and middle income countries. The review conducted wide searches encompassing all relevant bibliographic databases and grey literature found in a wide range of institutional websites as well as consultations with relevant organizations and researchers. The results of the review are based on 43 studies used for analysing quantitative effects, and a meta-ethnography of 136 qualitative studies for synthesizing barriers, enablers and other contextual factors. The most recent studies included in the review were published July 2016 and the search took 1990 as starting point.

Despite the volume of literature found, the evidence base is very limited and inconclusive. We considered a range of final socio-economic outcomes such as income, wages and health as well as some intermediate outcomes such as prices and yields. Certification increases prices and income from produce, but not wages or total household income. Context matters substantially for the causal chain between interventions of certification schemes and the wellbeing of producers and workers. Certification agencies should adopt simpler programmes adapted to local context and rigorously test their impact. They should consider their broad social sustainability claims in light of what is achievable and what evidence of impact can be generated.