From Sustainability Standards to Soil: Agriculture in Action Across SAN’s Network (23 Feb–1 Mar 2026)

This week, SAN members showed what “sustainability” looks like when it’s practical—and connected to real-world outcomes. From export milestones and seed sector coordination to agroecology in public spaces and farmer-first regenerative transitions, the story was consistent: when credibility meets local action, markets open, livelihoods strengthen, and ecosystems get a chance to recover.

Photo: Maede Alinejad for Unsplash+

When sustainability unlocks market access

A major moment for trade—and trust—came as CABI celebrated Kenya’s first-ever Apple Mango shipment to the UK, signaling readiness to meet strict food safety and plant health requirements.

CABI also kept attention on everyday farm realities—sharing technical awareness on strawberry pests and diseases, highlighting the damage caused by cotton bollworm larvae, and reinforcing that healthy soil underpins food, water, climate, and human wellbeing. In coffee systems, it emphasized how biocontrols and biopesticides can protect ecosystems while supporting organic certification and higher-value markets.

Seed systems and resilience across West Africa

Across West and Central Africa, CORAF showed how resilience depends on seed systems that actually deliver—starting with coordination. CORAF joined the FSRP regional synthesis mission to support implementation of the West African Food Systems Resilience Programme, and brought partners together for a sub-regional seed sector strategy workshop in Abidjan alongside FAO, AfricaSeeds, and TAAT stakeholders.

On the crop side, it promoted the IS1 peanut variety in Togo for improved yields and resilience, and spotlighted how #TARSPro2 Phase II aims to mobilize private sector stakeholders so innovation diffusion becomes lasting impact for family-owned farms.

Collaboration for environmental sustainability at continental scale

Beyond individual value chains, Circular Bioeconomy Alliance highlighted how collaboration can be resourced and organized: it awarded a 2026 grant supporting coordination of the African NGOs Alliance for Environmental Sustainability (ANAES), strengthening civil society alignment through this grant announcement.

Regenerative cotton: convening the system, not just the farm

In Pakistan, Cotton Connect reinforced that regenerative transitions accelerate when policy, market demand, and implementation pull in the same direction—capturing insights from a regenerative agriculture roundtable focused on strengthening the national cotton sector through cross-sector collaboration.

Agroecology as a public movement and a policy agenda

In Uganda, agroecology wasn’t just discussed—it was shared publicly, convened politically, and built through member coordination. PELUM Uganda advanced its #KnowWhatYouEat campaign to make food education accessible to more people.

At the 10th Harvest Money Expo, PELUM helped turn agroecology into an experience—welcoming visitors at the #AgroecologyVillage and building momentum ahead of the Expo through community-facing invitations at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.

Crucially, it paired public visibility with policy engagement, convening a high-level policy dialogue that brought together farmers, youth, women leaders, and policymakers to discuss the future of agroecology and organic agriculture. And to keep collaboration concrete, members aligned priorities and workplans through a Q1 thematic committee meeting focused on agroecological markets and business development.

Forest-based value chains and Amazonian bioeconomy in motion

In Ecuador and Peru, Fundación Pachamama marked a tangible step in scaling forest-friendly livelihoods: a second shipment of 10 tons of morete pulp to Peru—reinforcing how value addition locally can support internationalization while keeping forests at the center of the economic story.

Traceability and timber: sustainability beyond the farm gate

Two updates from Preferred by Nature connected sustainability to systems that increasingly define market access. Preferred by Nature joined the African Fine Coffees Association gathering, engaging producers and buyers on sustainability and EUDR-related topics through this African Coffee Week update.

It also linked responsible forestry to the future of construction, announcing support for the International Forum on Timber Construction in Pamplona—spotlighting innovation in industrialised and sustainable timber building.

Regenerative agriculture: proof points, livelihoods, and systems support

This week, Rainforest Alliance showed multiple angles of what “regenerative” looks like when it’s tied to people and place. It highlighted climate and livelihood pressures facing cocoa farmers in Central Sulawesi through this cocoa update.

It also shared a major certification milestone: La Cumplida in Nicaragua becoming the first farm certified under its regenerative agriculture standard, featured in this La Cumplida story.

And it reinforced that sustainability is social as well as environmental—highlighting requirements around legal wages and access to essential services in this certification and livelihoods post.

On the enabling side of transition, Rainforest Alliance promoted support for scaling regenerative change in Indonesia, sharing the matched-funding drive to transition farms in this Global Returns Project update—and spotlighted deforestation-free sourcing pathways through a Selva Maya timber webinar connecting producers with European markets.

Finally, it highlighted climate impacts in Peru’s San Martín region through this landscape resilience post—grounding global climate narratives in specific communities.

Farmer-first learning: low-cost tools and safer decisions

In Peru, Red de Acción en Agricultura Alternativa (RAAA Perú) continued sharing practical, farmer-ready guidance—starting with the basic materials for preparing bokashi.

It also underscored that tools work best when used thoughtfully, reminding growers to assess before deploying yellow sticky traps for pest control. And it pushed the policy conversation forward, asking why Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) aren’t mandatory—while calling for urgent action on the expanding use of glyphosate due to health risks.

Biodiversity, restoration, and climate adaptation in practice

In Spain, Fundación Global Nature received recognition for decades of work, highlighted through this ESG & Talent Chair acknowledgement celebrating more than 30 years of biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration.

It also gained national visibility for solutions-based adaptation, featured in Spain’s official platform via this #AdapteCCa “Sharing Solutions” post. And it shared how long-term partnership becomes practical adaptation through its work with the Viver Cooperative, advancing a climate change adaptation plan to reduce wildfire risk and strengthen biodiversity.

Biodiversity knowledge and rural livelihoods

Finally, Rural Aid Pakistan marked World Wildlife Day 2026 under the theme “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants,” emphasizing biodiversity conservation and traditional knowledge through this World Wildlife Day post—while warning of growing pressures from deforestation, climate change, land degradation, and pollution.

Sustainability that includes people, livelihoods, and culture

In Malaysia, Wild Asia reminded us that sustainability is also social—and cultural. Its storytelling on independent farmers showed how sustainability and livelihoods can grow together, spotlighted in Smallholders, Big Impact.

It also highlighted women’s empowerment through WAGS, introducing a smallholder pathway to confidence and better practice in this WAGS story. And it widened the frame beyond production, exploring what palm oil means in daily life through this Mah Meri cooking and culture post—showing how “sustainable” must also be compatible with heritage and community resilience.

What this week makes clear

Across continents and commodities, SAN members are demonstrating the heart of our Global Impact Network: turning commitments into credible outcomes—through market-ready standards, regenerative practice, resilient seed systems, forest-positive value chains, and farmer-centered inclusion. This is what it looks like when sustainability is simplified, scaled, and made real: practical action in the field, stronger pathways to market, and a growing base of proof that people and planet can both win when we collaborate globally and deliver what works—where it works.