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Welcome to the latest news from SHARP, a multi-stakeholder partnership that works with the private sector towards sustainable smallholder development and minimising deforestation.
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RESPONSIBLE SUPPLY CHAINS
RSS field tests begin
This March, SHARP partners and regional focal points began field-testing the Responsible Sourcing from Smallholders (RSS) framework, an approach for private sector to work with smallholders (details here). To date, RSS is being trialled in Brazil, Honduras and Indonesia.
Meeting soy standards in Brazil
 In Brazil, soy farmers are working with a partnership of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), SHARP, Fauna & Flora International and SPVS (Nature Conservancy and the Society for Wildlife Research and Environmental Education). Activities have included meetings with smallholders in Paula Freitas, Paraná state, and discussions with more than 25 local stakeholders to identify the challenges and needs of small farmers in sustainable production. The RSB standard for smallholder group certification and the RSS framework have been integrated, and a sample of seven producers were evaluated on site against both.
The results of the pilot and next steps will be discussed with the producers and stakeholders in a workshop planned for early June. Final results and lessons learned will be shared by RSB and SHARP with other organisations interested in supporting the certification of smallholders. www.rsb.org
Honduran stakeholders consulted
RSS has been initiated in the project to support RSPO certification of small farmers in Honduras involving palm oil company Jaremar and the Unpala farmers association. Stakeholders have been interviewed to identify smallholder risks and needs. Meetings have been held with producers and with the advisory group, which has been formed to accompany the process, to introduce RSS as a tool.
In April a second meeting was held with members of a consortium of palm oil companies and civil society, to explore opportunities to work together with SHARP on topics related to palm smallholders. The consortium PASH (Sustainable Palm Oil of Honduras) - in which Jaremar participates - has arisen from and is supported by Solidaridad's Farmer Support Programme, with WWF, Proforest, SNV and others as implementing partners. A working group is under development to identify and address main barriers for smallholders at sector level, including HCV smallholder approach and smallholder barriers for certification.
Contrasting approaches in Indonesia
 Indonesia is hosting RSS field tests in Jambi and Riau provinces. SHARP regional focal point SNV is supporting implementation. In Jambi, the company ProSympac is using RSS to develop sustainable supply from smallholders, taking them along a pathway to ISSC certification. Details are available here. The field test in Riau is being led by two associations of independent oil palm smallholders who have set a target of RSPO certification and aim to increase bargaining power by self-organising. SNV has facilitated the associations to follow the first steps of the RSS framework, including conducting needs assessments and appointing an advisory board. For details, contact Dani Rahadian at DHidayat@snvworld.org.
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SMALLHOLDER MODELS
Cameroon workshop held to discuss smallholder inclusion
SHARP and WWF co-hosted a workshop in Limbe in early May to discuss possible partnerships for working with smallholders in Cameroon's palm oil sector.
Representatives of the government and palm oil companies expressed commitment and openness to working with smallholders in order to secure sustainable supply. Stakeholders discussed challenges and possible solutions.
A full workshop report is available on the SHARP website. For more details, contact SHARP regional focal point Christian Mensah
at cmensah@ra.org.
New SHARP studies
SHARP has published two studies with insights for smallholder sustainability.
The first presents
 a review of Payments for Ecosystem Services projects targeted at smallholders. The second reports on the buyer advance payment system, a financing model used in Ghana's informal palm oil sector.
RSS guidance notes
Guidance notes 1 and 2, which give an overview of and introduction to RSS, are now available in English on the SHARP website.
SHARP presentations
SHARP partner SNV gave a presentation on RSS to the IDH Traceability Working Group and the Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD) in April.
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UPCOMING SHARP ACTIVITIES
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Accessing finance in Latin America
 SHARP is facilitating a workshop in Colombia on access to finance in the Latin American palm oil sector. Improving access to financial services could help smallholders to adopt sustainable production practices and increase their ability to participate in sustainable supply chains. The workshop will bring together experts in micro- and agricultural finance to discuss challenges in Latin America and share ideas to increase use of financial services. As input to the discussions, SHARP has commissioned the Financial Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST) to carry out a survey among financial institutions in Latin America and identify examples of successful financing for farmers. The workshop takes place in Bogotá on 9 and 10 June with support from Proforest, Fedepalma, Solidaridad, FAST, Ecossistemas and Cecodes. For details, email info@sharp-partnership.org. The FAST study will be published on the SHARP website. Photo: Hans Van De Wal.
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MINIMISING DEFORESTATION
 Locations for controlled field testing of the simplified HCV approach for smallholders have been selected. As we reported previously, the approach, designed for smallholders to assess and monitor High Conservation Values, has been endorsed by the RSPO for controlled field tests. The tests will take place in the next few months with oil palm smallholders in: Ghana (partners: Rainforest Alliance and Solidaridad), Honduras (Jaremar and Proforest), Indonesia (SNV and smallholder cooperatives) and Tanzania (Seed Change).
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INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS AGAINST DEFORESTATION
Liberia engages
in Africa Palm Oil Initiative
The Africa Palm Oil Initiative is gaining momentum, with its first national workshop taking place on 26-28 May in Monrovia, Liberia. The Initiative involves broad stakeholder engagement to produce a set of principles that will help promote responsible palm oil production in West and Central Africa.
The aim of the principles is to help decouple deforestation from palm oil supply chains in the region, but when implemented, it is anticipated that the principles will also cover aspects that support smallholder production. The initiative is currently piloted in Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria. Other producer countries in Africa may engage as the initiative progresses.
This is the first signature initiative of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020, which was formed in response to the Consumer Goods Forum's commitment to zero deforestation. For more information, visit here.
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RSPO success for Malaysian farmers
Thirty-four independent smallholders in Perak, Malaysia, have achieved RSPO certification through involvement in a programme led by Cargill and supported by Solidaridad and Wild Asia.
Supply chain progress
Climate Policy Initiative has assessed the potential of four models of smallholder production in Indonesia to manage risk and increase yields. Across the Pacific, researchers have found that zero deforestation agreements have affected sourcing practices of slaughterhouses in Pará, Brazil, leading them to avoid purchases from ranches with recent deforestation. Click here for the paper in English.
Training course
A one-week training course in responsible management in agriculture and forestry will take place in Takoradi, Ghana, on 21-25 September. For more details, click here.
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