Understanding the First Mile: cocoa, coffee, palm oil and rubber sectors

The first mile – the journey from producer to the first aggregation or processing point – is one of the most complex and least visible stages of agricultural supply chains. Dominated by independent smallholders and informal intermediaries, this stage plays a crucial role in determining whether traceability and due diligence systems are inclusive, credible, and effective.

Commissioned by ISEAL, this Proforest research maps first mile structures across cocoa, coffee, rubber, and palm oil supply chains through interviews, mapping exercises, and case studies across multiple regions. The project highlights the realities smallholders and local intermediaries face and identifies practical ways companies, governments, and sustainability systems can strengthen traceability while supporting equitable participation in supply chains.

The report provides evidence-based insights and recommendations for designing inclusive traceability systems, strengthening digital access and capacity, recognising the role of intermediaries, and aligning regulatory and market incentives. These findings are particularly relevant for companies implementing due diligence requirements, sustainability initiatives seeking to strengthen smallholder inclusion, and policymakers working to improve governance and transparency across agricultural supply chains.

By illuminating how the first mile functions in practice, this work helps stakeholders design traceability systems that are more resilient, inclusive, and effective, ensuring smallholders remain central to sustainable commodity production.

Case Studies:

• Traceable Rubber Trading (TRT) initiative: Government auctions and digital traceability
• National Federation of Coffee Growers traceability tool
• Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil certification and MPOB Sawit Intelligent Management System
• Palm Oil Collaboration Group Minimal Smallholder Deforestation approach and dealer engagement