Applicable Countries
Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Republic of the Congo (RC).
This article provides guidance for Certificate Holders (both Farm and Supply Chain Actors) on the application of the Policy for West and Central Africa (Cocoa): Farm and Supply Chain Certification v3.2 and v3.3. It also explains how related updates will be reflected in MyRA and the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP), including guidance on preparing for audits, completing indicator data, and using the updated system checklist.
1. Certificate Holders with Audits Before October 1st, 2026
Certificate Holders in the countries listed above remain subject to the requirements of the Policy for West and Central Africa (Cocoa): Farm and Supply Chain Certification v3.2., which has been effective since October 1st, 2025.
To support Certificate Holders in preparing for audits under the Policy for West and Central Africa (Cocoa) v3.3, which becomes binding on 1 October 2026, updates to MyRA and the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP) will be implemented from 15 July 2026 onward.
Certificate Holders that are not yet required to apply version 3.3 of the policy, but that submit a new certification scope after 15 July 2026, should take note of the following updates and system changes.
1.1 Preparing for Your Audit (Before 1st October 2026)
To enable the Certification Body (CB) to properly prepare for and conduct the audit, they must have a clear understanding of the size, composition, and structure of the farms included in your certification scope.
This information is provided through the Farm Information section in MyRA.
Please follow the steps in the platform to complete and review your farm information before the audit.
Cocoa Crop Synchronization
For farms with cocoa selected as the certified crop and located within the scope of the West Africa Cocoa Policy (v 3.2 and v 3.3), the system will automatically synchronize the cocoa crop across all related farm units.
Previously, this synchronization was a manual action. Users had to open the Farm Unit Overview page and select the “Sync crops to farm units” button.
With this update, when the selected farm crop is Cocoa and the farm is located within the scope of the West Africa Cocoa Policy, the system will automatically apply the existing “Sync crops to farm units” functionality.
This update supports more reliable identification of cocoa farm units and helps ensure the correct application of cocoa-specific requirements within the certification process.
Reporting Your Indicator Data
Indicator Data is a structured set of information that reflects how your farm operations and organization align with the requirements of the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard. This information is essential for the Certification Body to prepare for and conduct the audit.
Indicator Data must be completed directly in the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP). Much of the information may already be pre-filled based on data submitted during registration and scope confirmation. Certificate Holders are responsible for reviewing, completing, and submitting the dataset.
From 15 July 2026 the Indicator Data Questionnaire will include new cocoa-specific indicators to support reporting requirements under the updated Policy for West and Central Africa (Cocoa) v3.3. The indicators will be visible even if you are still being audited against the version 3.2 of the Policy for West and Central Africa (Cocoa).
The new indicators include:
Number of farmers trained (by training topic)
(This indicator already exists in the Farm Information Application (FIA) and will be reused and aligned in the updated system.)Total number of cocoa seedlings distributed
Percentage of farmers receiving cocoa seedlings
Total number of shade trees distributed
Average number of shade trees distributed per farmer
However:
These indicators will not be mandatory before the applicable binding date.
Certificate Holders should enter 0 in the non-applicable indicators only.
Certification Bodies (CBs) will be informed not to raise non-conformities related to these indicators before the binding date.
Follow the guidance in this section of the RACP manual for completing the Indicator Data Questionnaire.
1.2 Audit and Certification Process
Updated West Africa Cocoa Policy requirements will be integrated into the Sustainable Agriculture Standard v1.4 checklist in RACP.
Certificate Holders should use the checklist available in the system for audit preparation and implementation.
For Certificate Holders audited under the Cocoa Policy for West and Central Africa v3.2, selected SAS v1.4 requirements have been removed from the RACP checklist and are therefore not mandatory for these audits. In addition, several new requirements—including Member Monitoring, CLMRS, Yield Estimation, Risk Assessment Implementation, and the Certification Application Form—will also not be mandatory for audits under the version 3.2 of the Policy.
Guidance on the audit and certification process is available here:
Getting Certified as a Farm – Audit and Certification Process
2. Certificate Holders with Audits On or After 1 October 2026
Certificate Holders in the countries listed above are subject to the requirements set out in the Policy for West and Central Africa (Cocoa): Farm and Supply Chain Certification v3.3.
This policy becomes binding on 1 October 2026.
To support implementation of the updated West Africa Cocoa Policy requirements, updates to MyRA and the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP) will be implemented from 15 July 2026 onward.
Certificate Holders submitting a new certification scope after 15 July 2026 should take note of the following updates and system changes.
2.1 Applying for Certification - Completing Your Risk Assessment
The Risk Assessment helps identify potential sustainability risks that could affect compliance with Rainforest Alliance Standards. Using the Rainforest Alliance Risk Assessment Tool and GIS data, the system analyses farm location information to detect risks related to deforestation and encroachment into protected areas.
Each farm unit receives a risk rating of Low, Medium, or High based on the level of overlap detected.
The assessment is conducted early in the certification process to identify high-risk locations before the audit takes place.
The system also verifies that each farm unit:
Is located on land
Is within the country included in the certification scope
Does not overlap with other farm units in the same organization
Polygon Coverage Requirement (Cocoa Farm Certificate Holders under Policy for West and Central Africa (Cocoa): Farm and Supply Chain Certification v3.3)
All Cocoa Farm Certificate Holders with audits taking place after the mentioned Policy v3.3 becomes binding must upload the required percentage of farm units with valid polygon data, in line with the country-specific polygon coverage requirements defined in the policy.
Enforcement will be introduced in phases:
From October 2026: The system will display a warning when polygon coverage thresholds are not met.
From end December 2026: Certificate Holders will not be able to run the Risk Assessment unless polygon coverage requirements defined in the policy are met.
2.2 Preparing for Your Audit
To enable the Certification Body (CB) to properly prepare for and conduct the audit, they must have a clear understanding of the size, composition, and structure of the farms included in your certification scope.
This information is provided through the Farm Information section in MyRA.
Please follow the steps in the platform to complete and review your farm information before the audit.
Cocoa Crop Synchronization
For farms with cocoa selected as the certified crop and located within the scope of the West Africa Cocoa Policy (v 3.2 and v 3.3), the system will automatically synchronize the cocoa crop across all related farm units.
Previously, this synchronization was a manual action. Users had to open the Farm Unit Overview page and select the “Sync crops to farm units” button.
With this update, when the selected farm crop is Cocoa and the farm is located within the scope of the West Africa Cocoa Policy, the system will automatically apply the existing “Sync crops to farm units” functionality.
This update supports more reliable identification of cocoa farm units and helps ensure the correct application of cocoa-specific requirements within the certification process.
Reporting Your Indicator Data
Indicator Data is a structured set of information that reflects how your farm operations and organization align with the requirements of the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard. This information is essential for the Certification Body to prepare for and conduct the audit.
Indicator Data must be completed directly in the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP). Much of the information may already be pre-filled based on data submitted during registration and scope confirmation. Certificate Holders are responsible for reviewing, completing, and submitting the dataset.
The Indicator Data Questionnaire will include new cocoa-specific indicators to support reporting requirements under the updated Policy for West and Central Africa (Cocoa) v3.3.
The new indicators include:
Number of farmers trained (by training topic)
(This indicator already exists in the Farm Information Application (FIA) and will be reused and aligned in the updated system.)Total number of cocoa seedlings distributed
Percentage of farmers receiving cocoa seedlings
Total number of shade trees distributed
Average number of shade trees distributed per farmer
2.3 Audit and Certification Process
Updated West Africa Cocoa Policy requirements will be integrated into the Sustainable Agriculture Standard v1.4 checklist in RACP.
Certificate Holders should use the checklist available in the system for audit preparation and implementation.
Guidance on the audit and certification process is available here:
Getting Certified as a Farm – Audit and Certification Process