Relevance of Sustainable Agricultural Network Standards and Rainforest Alliance Certification in Promoting Governance and Achieving National Policy Recommendations in Kenya's Tea Sector

Abstract

Tea growing countries like Kenya has streamlined the use of Sustainable Agricultural Network (SAN) Standards and Rainforest Alliance (RA) Certification to support public policy.Lack of information on the relevance of SAN standards and RA certification in promoting governance and public policies and also in implementing policy recommendations limits improvement, sustainability and resilience of agricultural production systems in Kenya's' tea sector. This study sought to provide this missing information using a cross-sectional research design to collect data from 514 small-scale tea growers drawn randomly from Kenya KTDA factories. A questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.92α was used after validation by extension experts. Face-to-Face interviews and document analysis were carried out to ensure triangulation. Data were analyzed using Chi-square at 0.05 set a priori calculated using SPSS. From the SAN standards and RA certification supported governance and public policy by upholding compliance to national laws, regulations, good agricultural practices, best practices, efficiency, transparency and accountability in the tea sector. Policy makers should mainstream relevant voluntary sustainable agricultural standards and certification as part of good regulatory practice and good public governance.