Terms of Reference for a scoping study on the different options for setting pan-African standards for Allanblackia
11.4.2008
1. About Allanblackia Since 2001, the Novella partnership has worked on the development of Allanblackia, an indigenous tree that grows in the African rainforest, in an area stretching from Liberia to Tanzania. Many of the ecosystems within which this species is found are under threat. The seeds of the Allanblackia are hardly used commercially, but they contain edible oil that is unique in its composition and will provide a desirable ingredient for many consumer products currently under development by Unilever and other companies. Hence, a growing demand for this valuable oil is foreseen in the long term. Protection and planting of Allanblackia trees will be an incentive for improved ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. So far, all Allanblackia production is derived from wild harvesting, i.e. seeds collected from naturally occurring trees in forests and adjacent farms. Over the past four years, supply chains based on wild harvesting have been established in Ghana and Tanzania, and another is now being set up in Nigeria. At present production levels, approximately 10,000 small-scale farmers and collectors earn a total of about US$ 250,000 per year for two months of occasional work in the off-season. Currently, the trade is growing by 10 – 20% per year but is limited by the low availability of naturally occurring Allanblackia trees. This is in stark contrast with a demand for the oil that is nearly 10,000 times the current available volume. Research and trials carried out by ICRAF on the technical aspects of Allanblackia farming have been successful in developing the basic technology, supply channels and skills needed to cultivate Allanblackia as a commercial crop. 2. About standard setting Since 2003, the Novella Africa partners have been involved in drafting and testing good-practice guidelines for the sustainable harvesting and wild picking of Allanblackia. These guidelines have been tested in the field and a revised version will be produced by the end of May 2008. The guidelines are the first step towards setting international industry standards for wild picking and cultivation of Allanblackia. Although industry has the ultimate responsibility to implement and adhere to standards, the process around setting standards is a societal choice. Partners of the Novella Africa initiative are committed to help and simulate further development of the good-practice guidelines into panAfrican industry standards that ultimately would be accepted and followed by the whole supply chain. The partners understand that setting standard is a process that requires full ownership by the different actors and partners along the supply chain. Standard setting should also add value for all the stakeholders and partners rather than becoming a burden and/or disincentive for getting involved with activities in a sustainable way in different parts of the supply chain. At the same time the standard should be credible in a way that claims about sustainability and social equity can be proven when needed, i.e. some sort of verification system should be in place. The partners are aware of numerous standards that already exist in relation to sustainable supply chain of native species, such as the Fair Trade –labeling scheme, different eco-certificates, the
Critical Path-process of the Union for Ethical BioTrade, among others. The purpose and audience for these standards differ based on the specific needs for the standard setting process. 3. Purpose The purpose of the scoping study is to: In close consultation with the Novella Africa partners, provide 3-4 justified options on the most appropriate standard setting framework that could be deployed for the future establishment and adaptation of an Allanblackia industry standard. Assess the Allanblackia good-practice standards with respect to the proposed standard setting options, including the clear identification of gaps between the basic requirements for a robust standard (including verification systems) and the current guidelines.
4. Specific tasks a. Analyze the need for Allanblackia pan-African/International standards; b. Conduct a stakeholder mapping to help identify the potential participants to the standard drafting process; c. In consultation with the Novella Africa partners, and in particular with Unilever, identify the type of standards and verification framework that would be the most suitable for the Allanblackia supply chain (for example, business to business, aimed towards certification etc.); d. Provide a list and short description of existing standards and corresponding verification systems that could serve as a model for the Allanblackia supply chain standards (one single system should be adopted for both wild harvested and cultivated Allanblackia); e. Compare the draft good-practice guidelines for Allanblackia with already existing key 1 standards, such as Fair Trade, FairWild Standards, BioTrade, FSC, IFOAM , Rainforest Alliance to; o Make justified recommendations on the standard setting process and verification system, including its governance, that would be the most useful for the Allanblackia supply chain i) at this point of the initiative, ii) in the long-term (from 2012 onwards); o Give an indication on the process towards setting these standards and the verification system (taking into account the already existing draft good-practice guidelines) including time-frame and required financial resources. f. Propose options for the set up of a decentralized communication platform that will allow key stakeholders to participate at and provide their inputs for the standard setting development from early on; 5. Time frame The study is expected to be undertaken between April-May 2008 with the draft report ready for partners’ review by May 15 and the final report ready by June 14. 6. Budget
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International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements