The rapid expansion of commodity agriculture in tropical forest landscapes is a key driver of deforestation. To meet the growing demand for food from a more prosperous and expanding global population, it is imperative to develop sustainable commodity supply chains that support higher agricultural productivity, and that enable improved environmental, economic and social outcomes.

This project studies how some of the many interventions by community, market and state actors can enhance the sustainability of supply chains by affecting where and how agricultural production occurs. These interventions – in the form of novel or moderated institutions and policies, incentives, or information – can influence producers directly or achieve their impacts indirectly by influencing consumer, retailer and processor decisions.

We are working with partner organizations who are designing, implementing and monitoring such interventions within cattle, cocoa, palm oil, rubber and soy landscapes across the tropics. Our objectives are:

1. To characterize the governance structures and institutional arrangements associated with successful interventions, by identifying commonalities and generalizable lessons from a range of interventions.

2. To develop methods and indicators for monitoring intervention impacts on tropical deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and rural livelihoods.

We are interested in collaborating with partners who work in any of these commodity systems, in any capacity.

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