What is Responsible Sourcing from Smallholders (RSS)?

A growing number of retailers, manufacturers, processors and traders have made commitments to responsible sourcing of agricultural commodities. As a result, farmers and producers are increasingly being asked to demonstrate that they have good social and environmental practices in place.

However, for small producers who lack human and financial resources - and often face additional challenges relating to land tenure, access to information and effective institutions for collaboration - may struggle to meet responsible buying standards. This can also affect livelihoods in smallholder communities.

As a result, there is a growing risk that many smallholders will be excluded from sustainable international supply chains. This flyer looks at the Responsible Sourcing from Smallholders (RSS) framework, a toolkit developed by the SHARP partnership to address these challenges and help companies engage with smallholders in their supply base.

Download: What is RSS? A leaflet

Download: ¿Qué es RSS? Un folleto

Download: O que é o RSS? Um panfleto