Troubled Waters

Oliver Bach, senior manager of standards and policy for the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) — the coalition of leading conservation groups which manages the standard required for Rainforest Alliance agricultural certification — talks about farming’s devastating impact on rivers, streams and oceans, and the Rainforest Alliance’s work to ensure that certified farms protect these vital waterways…

When we talk about sustainable agriculture, we often focus on the land itself, on the ways that Rainforest Alliance certification impacts trees, soil and the wildlife that live on or near farms. But there are other less-obvious benefits of our work, including the protection of rivers, streams and oceans as well as the plant and animal species that rely on those bodies of water for their survival.

The need to protect water resources has never been more urgent. According to a recent report, scientists are predicting that the Gulf of Mexico is facing the largest “dead zone” in its history—between 8,500 and 9,400 square miles, about the size of Lake Erie—caused by runoff from the Mississippi River Valley. And the Gulf is not alone. Similar problems have plagued other coastal regions, including Mexico’s Yaqui River Valley and the Sea of Cortez.

Dead zones are areas where massive algae blooms have killed off other ocean life. Studies have shown that the main culprit is runoff from farms into nearby rivers and streams. As a result of fertilizer and animal manure, freshwater becomes excessively nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich, and when it flows downriver and reaches coastal areas, this nutrient-rich water can produce algae blooms—known as red or brown tides—which release toxins that poison mollusks, crustaceans and fish. When the algae decompose and are consumed by bacteria, they deplete the area of oxygen, asphyxiating the other living creatures that share the space. In addition to the obvious environmental impacts, these dead zones also threaten fishing, tourism and other maritime-based industries, depriving coastal communities of their livelihoods.

Rainforest Alliance certification helps to prevent this problem in a variety of ways. The program’s Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) standard – managed by the SAN, a coalition of NGOs based in the tropics — is built on ten guiding principles, one of which is water conservation. This includes more than just the reduction of water consumption; farmers must also monitor water quality, treat wastewater and avoid contaminating springs and rivers on and near their properties.

The SAN standard encourages farmers to eliminate agrochemicals, choosing biological and mechanical alternatives whenever possible, and any chemicals they do use must be handled in a way that safeguards human health and the environment. Workers on Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms are trained to reduce and manage waste, and certified farms are also required to be good neighbors—to wildlife and surrounding communities.

Another key principle of the SAN standard – ecosystem conservation – also puts a premium on protecting streams and waterways. Farmers are required to establish protected zones on the banks of rivers, streams, springs, wetlands and other natural bodies. In doing so, they help to protect aquatic ecosystems from erosion and agrochemical drift. Farm workers are also prohibited from altering natural water channels to create new drainage or irrigation channels.

On Nicaragua’s Finca La Bastilla, a Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm, all wastewater is treated in anaerobic biodigestors and released into a system of collection ponds for purification before it is returned to the ground. In Guatemala, the owner of Finca Buenos Aires has replanted native trees on his certified coffee farm, and a 33-foot buffer zone of natural forest protects the farm’s ten springs and two rivers against erosion and water pollution.

Rainforest Alliance certification proves that clean, healthy bodies of water can coexist with economically viable farms.