More than 80 corporations from all over the world have agreed to support a new global assessment tool to ensure their agricultural practices are conducted sustainably, safely and consistently.
As members of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI), formed in 2002, they are working together to implement The Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) tool which will be used as a common global standard in assessing, improving and communicating sustainable agriculture. This will cover supply chains that extend all over the world.
FSA is now being built in an online universal database, in multiple languages and with multiple filtering options so that it can be tailored to regional situations and for specific crops. This system will offer complete supply chain mapping, including the ability to communicate data on on-farm sustainability throughout the supply chain, from farmer to retailer.
Users of the database can also blend in other standards and labels in several ways through benchmarking exercises and filters, which can result in a significant simplification of complex processes.
“The FSA system is ambitious, yet it is only a first step in an exciting journey. It provides the foundation for many more opportunities, like training and knowledge exchange between farmers, beyond their direct neighbors, ” says Mr Peter Erik Ywema, General Manager, SAI Platform. As a global standard, there is no need for multiple audits, while FSA links to governmental programs and can provide the base for improvement plans and for financing, Mr Ywema adds.
You can read more about the SAI Platform and the FSA.
Blogpost by Binh Nguyen, #GCARD3 Social Reporter – binh.nguyenthai(at)wwf.panda.org
Picture courtesy T.Kien
This post is part of the live coverage during the #GCARD3 Regional Consultation for Asia and Pacific region. This post is written by one of our social reporters, and represents the author’s views only.
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Many thanks!