Summary
Sustainability certification (SC) aims to address negative impacts associated with production, processing, and trade of commodity crops. The efficacy of SC for smallholder producers depends on households adopting and aligning their own production practices with stipulated standards and practices. Using data from 357 households in Ghana, we examine smallholders’ experiences with Fairtrade certification across four different crops: cocoa, pineapples, oranges, and cashews. We find significant gaps in certification implementation including inadequate training, infrequent inspections, and lack of knowledge about price premiums. The results suggest the need for implementation strategies that reflects smallholders’ context-specific issues and foster greater training and inspection.