Farm Groups Join Sustainability Initiative
Major commodity and conservation groups, along with big food businesses, come together as part of a results-oriented sustainability initiative.
Compiled by staff
Published: Aug 15, 2007
Parties from throughout the agriculture industry and some from outside have come together to work on an initiative that seeks to identify practices for increasing production agriculture's sustainability with a focus on results.
Neutral non-profit organization Keystone Center is spearheading the initiative, which has drawn diverse and important groups including: the National Corn Growers Association; American Soybean Association; Bunge Limited; Cargill; Conservation International; DuPont; General Mills; Grocery Manufacturers Association/Food Products Association; The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment; Mars, Inc.; Monsanto; National Cotton Council of America; The Nature Conservancy; United Soybean Board; and World Wildlife Fund.
As an initial step, the group has agreed to the following foundational principles:
"We believe world food demands, grower needs and desirable land use patterns all require intensification of agriculture. We further believe that increased production must be accomplished in a manner that does not negatively impact, and actually improves, overall environmental and societal outcomes.
We believe sustainable agriculture can meet the needs of the present while improving the ability of future generations to meet their own needs by focusing on these specific, critical outcomes:
- Increasing productivity to meet future nutritional needs while decreasing impacts on the environment, including water, soil, habitat, air quality and climate emissions and land use
- Improving human health through access to safe, nutritious food
- Improving the social and economic well-being of agricultural communities."
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Tagged: soybean, cotton, National Corn Growers Association, soybean association, American Soybean Association
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