The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform Launches New Framework for Regenerative Practices
The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform), a nonprofit organization focused on sustainable agriculture, has announced the launch of a new framework aimed at providing the farming industry with a globally aligned approach to transitioning to more regenerative practices.
The SAI Platform emphasizes that climate change is expected to reduce global farming productivity by up to 30 percent, and warns that the agriculture industry is facing a “critical moment” in meeting the increasing demand for food in the coming decades.
With more than half of the world’s agricultural land already degraded and a projected 70 percent increase in food demand by 2050, the SAI Platform recognizes the urgent need to address these risks. To tackle these challenges, the organization has launched the “Regenerating Together” framework and program, which seeks to promote and support the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices. These practices are believed to reduce environmental impacts while increasing yields.
Climate change is set to decrease the productivity of farming globally by up to 30 percent.
A Global Standard for Regenerative Agriculture
The framework involves more than 30 agriculture cooperatives, including industry giants and the broader 170-strong SAI Platform membership, which includes companies such as Nestlé, Danone, Unilever, and PepsiCo. These organizations commit to a global standard for regenerative agriculture.
The SAI Platform, in collaboration with farmers, academia, NGOs, and businesses, has developed an aligned approach to regenerative agriculture. This approach aims to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, improve soil health, enhance biodiversity, retain water in the soil, reduce consumption, and ensure the commercial viability of farming businesses.
The overarching goal of the framework is to create a resilient and productive food system that revitalizes natural ecosystems and improves farmers’ livelihoods.
The framework is designed for practical use at the farm level, helping farmers transition to regenerative agricultural practices and translating the often-ambiguous concepts of regenerative agriculture into actionable steps.
Furthermore, the framework will be integrated into existing industry solutions offered by the SAI Platform, including the European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability (ERBS), the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA), and the Sustainable Dairy Partnership (SDP).
Regenerative agriculture is the way forward to ensure productivity and farm ecosystem viability.
Support from Leading Agriculture Businesses
Dionys Forster, Director General of the SAI Platform, emphasizes the organization’s track record in developing initiatives and programs that improve sustainability in the agriculture sector. He states that regenerative agriculture is crucial for ensuring productivity and farm ecosystem viability. Forster calls for immediate action and collaboration among members and industry players to achieve this common goal.
The framework has garnered support from prominent agriculture businesses and associated companies, including AB Sugar, McCain, and Unilever.
Eric Soubeiran, Vice President of Business Operations Sustainability at Unilever, highlights the importance of evolving sustainable agriculture practices to drive positive impact in supply chains. He believes that the new framework sets a global standard for regenerative agriculture while allowing flexibility at the farm level.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
1. Sustainable Development Goal: SDG 2 – Zero Hunger
– Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
2. Sustainable Development Goal: SDG 13 – Climate Action
– Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
– Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
3. Sustainable Development Goal: SDG 15 – Life on Land
– Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
– Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 2 – Zero Hunger | Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality. | No specific indicators mentioned in the article. |
| SDG 13 – Climate Action | Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning. |
No specific indicators mentioned in the article. |
| SDG 15 – Life on Land | Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. |
No specific indicators mentioned in the article. |
Analysis
1. The issues highlighted in the article are connected to the following SDGs:
– SDG 2 – Zero Hunger: The article mentions the need to meet rising demand for food in the coming decades and the importance of sustainable food production systems.
– SDG 13 – Climate Action: The article emphasizes the impact of climate change on farming productivity and the need to mitigate and adapt to its effects.
– SDG 15 – Life on Land: The article discusses the degradation of agricultural land and the importance of restoring degraded land and soil.
2. The specific targets under those SDGs based on the article’s content are:
– Target 2.4: Implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, maintain ecosystems, and improve land and soil quality.
– Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in the agriculture sector.
– Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into agricultural policies, strategies, and planning.
– Target 15.3: Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, and strive for a land degradation-neutral world.
– Target 15.5: Take urgent action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt biodiversity loss, and protect threatened species.
3. The article does not mention any specific indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. However, indicators related to agricultural productivity, climate resilience, land restoration, and biodiversity conservation can be used to track progress.
Overall, the article highlights the need for sustainable agriculture practices to address the challenges of climate change, food demand, and land degradation. The mentioned framework aims to provide a globally aligned approach for transitioning to more regenerative practices, which aligns with the SDGs mentioned above.
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Source: greenbiz.com
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