Accreditation

The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) is currently developing an accreditation program for certifiers that wish to certify farms that meet the requirements of the SAN Sustainable Agriculture Standard.  This program will allow for greater certification capacity on a global level while ensuring high quality farm certification processes, ensuring additional credibility to SAN system processes. The program is currently under development and is expected to be complete in 2011.


To better understand the SAN system, it is useful to understand its structure and the separation of functions among its operating bodies. The basic elements of a certification system include standards, certification, accreditation and labeling. In the current SAN system, the SAN is the standards-setting body. Rainforest Alliance is the labeling organization and Sustainable Farm Certification, Ltda. (SFC) is the certification body responsible for granting farm certificates to farms which meet the requirements of the SAN’s Sustainable Agriculture Standard. SFC works with a number of independent inspection bodies that carry out individual farm inspections to verify compliance with the SAN standard. 
  

Sustainable Farm Certification, Ltda. (SFC), an independent entity, currently makes all certification decisions for the SAN system. The Rainforest Alliance and the SAN do not make certification decisions.  In 2008, the SAN board decided to go beyond ISO65 and create an independent accreditation system which is under development.  This quality system will include ISO65, additional SAN criteria and interpretation guidance for the SAN standard. It will enable International Organic Accreditation Service, an independent accreditation body, to accredit certification bodies that carry out certification activities. Learn more about the accreditation program here.

The SAN’s standard-setting procedures comply with ISEAL's Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards.  This is the relevant and internationally recognized code for standard-setting organizations.

For inquiries regarding accreditation, please contact Ana Garzon, agarzon@sanstandards.org.