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Impact of Sustainable Agriculture Network (RAS) certification on coffee farms

(2008) Research carried out on demand Instituto de Manejo e Certificação Florestal e Agrícola (Imaflora) to assess the impact of socio-environmental certification on coffee plantations. The survey included 70 certified and 47 non-certified coffee enterprises from the southern regions of Minas Gerais and Cerrado Mineiro. In all, 359 people were interviewed.

In this research, a methodology was also defined, based on geoprocessing and remote sensing to assess the environmental impact of the enterprise. The data sources, in the certified and non-certified projects, were the same and consisted of field observations, orbital images and interviews with structured questionnaires. Geoprocessing resources were used to identify the extent of environmental preservation areas in the projects (Permanent Preservation Areas, APPs, and Legal Reserve areas, RLs) and compare their situation to that of the hydrographic basins in which they are located.

The main socio-environmental data collected concerned the preservation of native vegetation, the conservation of water resources, waste management, training of the workforce, working conditions and the handling and application of agrochemicals.