Social Stewardship Standards for Farms, Ranches, and Other Food and Agriculture Businesses #

2019 Published Version 4 #

“Eating is an agricultural act.” -Wendell Berry

Our Stakeholders #

The Agricultural Justice Project (AJP) is stakeholder-driven, governed and committed to the  principles of democratic leadership. We consider stakeholders those who work in the food and  agricultural system who shoulder too many of the burdens and enjoy too few of the benefits of how  our food and agricultural system operates. AJP has identified key stakeholder groups as: Workers  (farmworkers and food system workers throughout the food chain, including apprentices and  interns), Farmers, Retailers, Food Businesses (manufacturers, processors or brand holders), and  Indigenous Communities. In 2020 AJP is adding two new stakeholder groups that will be filled  moving forward: 1. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Farmers and 2. Food Insecure  Individuals, Families, and Communities. AJP is governed by three committees (who make decisions  via consensus) and are made up of representatives from different food system stakeholder groups:  the Advisory Council, Standards Committee, and a Board of Directors. The governing bodies can  also include individuals with expertise related to AJP’s work. 

Founders, Authors, and Contributors to AJP’s Stakeholder-Driven Standards   #

The Food Justice Certified (FJC) standards were originally developed by AJP over a four-year period of stakeholder input and are an attempt to codify in concrete terms what making a legitimate claim of “social justice” in organic and sustainable agriculture means. AJP has a standard practice of revising our stakeholder-developed standards document periodically via consensus decision making. The process is based on the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling’s (ISEAL) best practices for standards revisions and typically occurs every five years and takes about 18 months from start to finish. 

AJP would like to thank all the stakeholders, Standards Committee, and Advisory Council members who reviewed and provided comments on the standards during the standards revision process that resulted in these 2019 published standards as well as the previous versions. 

Standards Committee Members for the 2019 Published Standards #

Jim Cochran, Swanton Berry Farm, CA; farmer stakeholder. 

Jessica Culley, Farmworker Support Committee (CATA), NJ, a migrant-farmworker founded, membership-based organization; farmworker advocate. 

Rosalinda Guillen, Community to Community (C2C), WA; leadership team member of C2C, a women of color led organization that works to empower under-represented people to bring justice to our food, land and cultural practices and promote community relationships towards self-reliance and human rights for all; farmworker advocate. 

Marion McBride, Canada; brand and Canadian organic grower stakeholder. 

Joy Miller, Keewaydin Farms, WI; farmer stakeholder. 

Tirso Moreno, formerly with the Farmworkers Association of Florida, FL; farmworker stakeholder and advocate. 

Kathy Peters, Abundance Cooperative Market, NY; retail food co-operative and retail employee stakeholder. 

Nancy Vail, Pie Ranch, CA; farmer stakeholder.

Advisory Council Members for the 2019 Published Standards #

Denise Aguero, independent organic and FJC inspector, FL; eater and certification expert. Becca Berkey, Northeastern University, MA; eater and farm labor justice researcher. Ernesto Bustos, former executive director, Centro Campesino, MN; farmworker advocate. Jim Cochran, Swanton Berry Farm, CA; farmer stakeholder. 

Jeannie Economos, Farmworkers Association of Florida, FL; farmworker advocate. Rosalinda Guillen, executive director, Community to Community Development (C2C), WA; leadership team member of C2C, a women of color led organization that works to empower under represented people to bring justice to our food, land and cultural practices and promote community relationships towards self-reliance and human rights for all. 

Joann Lo, former co-director, Food Chain Workers Alliance; a coalition of worker-based organizations that advocates for the following stakeholders groups: food chain workers, immigrant workers, women workers, workers of color. 

Joy Miller, Keewaydin Farms, WI; farmer stakeholder. 

Keith Talbot, Workers Legal Rights Project, NJ; worker advocate and labor law expert. Kathy Peters, Abundance Cooperative Market, NY; retail food co-operative and retail employee stakeholder. 

Nancy Vail, Pie Ranch, CA; farmer stakeholder. 

Gail Wadsworth, former executive director, California Institute of Rural Studies, representing marginalized rural residents of California; farmers and farmworkers. Low wage workers in the food chain.

Board of Directors Members for the 2019 Published Standards #

Jessica Culley, general coordinator, Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas /Farmworker  Support Committee (CATA), farmworker advocate. 

Elizabeth Henderson, co-founder of AJP, representative of Northeast Organic Farming Association  (NOFA), retired farmer and farmer advocate.  

Marty Mesh, co-founder of AJP, former representative of Florida Organic Growers, retired organic farmer stakeholder. 

Michael Sligh, co-founder of AJP, former representative of Rural Advancement Foundation  International (RAFIUSA), rancher stakeholder.  

Additional Board of Directors Members who joined after the 2019 Published Standards  #

Margaret Krome-Lukens, representative of the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI USA). 

Cali Alexander, alternate representative of the NOFA. 

Former Stakeholders Who Contributed to Standards Development #

This 2019 version of the Standards is based on the previous versions of the standards, all of which were stakeholder-driven and approved. The following list includes previous standards committee members and board members and includes many additional stakeholders from across the US and internationally who provided comments and suggestions.

Alexis Baden-Mayer, Organic Consumers Association 

Sandy Brown, former representative of Swanton Berry Farm, CA 

Marty Butts, Syracuse Food Coop, NY, retail food co-op stakeholder. 

Nelson Carasquillo, co-founder of AJP, former general coordinator of Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas /Farmworker Support Committee (CATA), NJ 

Grace Cox, Olympia Food Coop, WA, retail food co-op stakeholder. 

Carlos Diaz, Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas /Farmworker Support Committee (CATA), NJ, farmworker stakeholder. 

Atina Diffley, MN, organic farmer stakeholder.  

Martha Guzman, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, CA 

Linda Halley, WI, farmer stakeholder. 

Rufus Haucke, Keewaydin Farms, MN, farmer stakeholder. 

Ken Hayes, Soil Association, UK 

Liz Haywood, Bluff Country Coop, MN retail food co-op stakeholder. 

Jack Hedin, Featherstone Farm, WI, farmer stakeholder. 

Richard Mandelbaum, Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas /Farmworker Support Committee (CATA), NJ, farmworker advocate. Oscar Mendieta, RENACE, Bolivia, advocate of agroecological agriculture for indigenous, rural, and multi-ethnic communities. Tirso Moreno, former general coordinator, Farmworkers Association of Florida, FL, farmworker stakeholder and advocate 

Jose Oliva, former representative of Restaurant Opportunities Center United, restaurant worker advocate.  

Suzette Snowcob, Greenfield Coop, NY, retail food co-op stakeholder. 

Luis Tlaseca, Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas /Farmworker Support Committee (CATA), NJ, farmworker stakeholder. 

Chela Vasquez, Pesticide Action Network 

Bonnie Wideman, former representative of Midwestern Organic Services Association, WI, certification stakeholder. 

Kristen Woodhouse, formerly with Organic Valley, food brand and farmer co-op stakeholder. Lisa Sass Zaragoza, researcher and farmworker advocate.  

Original AJP Founders #

Michael Sligh, representing Rural Advancement Foundation International RAFIUSA

Nelson Carrasquillo, representing Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas / Farmworker Support Committee CATA 

Marty Mesh, representing Quality Certification Services/Florida Organic Growers QCS/FOG

Elizabeth Henderson, representing Peacework Organic Farm and Northeast Organic Farming Association

Oscar Mendieta, representing Fundacion Renace 

Richard Mandelbaum, representing Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas / Farmworker Support Committee CATA

Table of Contents #

Executive Summary #

• Farmer Rights
• Farmworker and Food System Worker Rights
• Buyer Rights
• Farm Intern/Apprentice Rights
• Indigenous Rights
• Incentives for Performance

Definitions #

Background and Underlying Assumptions #

• General Principles
• IFOAM’s Principle of Fairness
• Underlying Assumptions

Applying the Standards #

• What Certification Means
• AJP and Organic Certification
• Meeting the Standards
• How Standards Will be Evaluated
• Continual Improvement

1.0. Food Business Responsibilities to Farmers #

• Introduction
• 1.1. Contracts and Negotiating Process
• 1.2. Equity, Price Setting, and Other Benefits
• 1.3. Enforcement
• 1.4. Fair Trade Relationships
• 1.5. Continual Improvement
• 1.6. Community Relations

2.0. Farmer Responsibilities to Buyers #

• 2.1. Certification
• 2.2. Transparency
• 2.3. Conflict Resolution Procedures
• 2.4. Anti-Discrimination Clause
• 2.5. Long-Term Relationships
• 2.6. Contracts
• 2.7. Right to Know
• 2.8. Fair Trade Relationship
• 2.9. Responsibility for Payment of Court Costs
• 2.10. Labor Contractors
• 2.11. Continual Improvement

3.0. Farmer/Employer Responsibilities to Farm Employees and Interns #

• 3.1. Labor Rights
• 3.2 Child Labor
• 3.3 Wages and Benefits
• 3.4. Employer Provided Housing
• 3.5. Health and Safety
• 3.6. Interns and Apprentices
• 3.7. Continual Improvement
• 3.8. Community Relations

4.0. Food Business Responsibilities to Employees and Interns #

• 4.1 Labor Rights
• 4.2. Child Labor
• 4.3. Wages and Benefits
• 4.4. Employer Provided Housing
• 4.5. Health and Safety
• 4.6. Continual Improvement
• 4.7. Interns and Apprentices
• 4.8. Community Relations

5.0. Grower Group Responsibilities #

• 5.1. Grower Group Structure
• 5.2. Conflict Resolution Procedure
• 5.3. Member Growers’ and Management Staff Responsibilities and Understanding
• 5.4. Separation of Farm Products
• 5.5. Integrity of Grower Group Products
• 5.6. Community Relations

6.0 Food Business Responsibilities to Other Food Businesses #

• 6.1 Freedom of association
• 6.2 Negotiation Process
• 6.3 Conflict resolution procedure
• 6.4 Long‐term relationships
• 6.5 Right to Know
• 6.6 Anti‐discrimination clause
• 6.7 Human relations
• 6.8 Termination of contracts
• 6.9 Fair Pricing
• 6.10 Fair Business Practices
• 6.11 Payments, penalties, and deductions

7.0 Non-Profits and Non-Profit Cooperatives Responsibilities #

• 7.1. Democratic Board Member Selection and Processes
• 7.2. Clarity of Responsibility and Tasks
• 7.3. Conflict Resolution for Board Members and Staff
• 7.4 Anti-Discrimination and Whistleblower Protection Clauses

8.0 Labor Contractor Responsibilities to Employees (DRAFT) #

• 8.1 Joint Employer Status and legal compliance
• 8.2 Compliance with AJP standards
• 8.3 Terms of Employment
• 8.4 Working Conditions
• 8.5 Labor Rights
• 8.6 Contractor Responsibilities in Cases of Legal Violations by Farms or Businesses