The Rainforest Alliance consults with social and environmental groups, industry, government and other stakeholders to develop guidelines for tropical agriculture. These standards cover all aspects of production. They protect the environment, the rights and welfare of workers and the interests of local communities. For consumers, certification offers a choice, an opportunity to "vote with their dollars" and effect changes that will lead to sustainable agricultural practices.

The Rainforest Alliance certifies coffee, bananas, cocoa, orange, pineapple, flower and fern farms according to environmental and social standards.

As of 2007, it had certified almost 10,000 farms and cooperatives on about 215,000 hectares (530,000 acres) in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and the Philippines.