The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform, a leading non-profit driving global development in sustainable agriculture, today announces the launch of its global framework for regenerative agriculture. The initiative provides the industry with a globally aligned approach for the transition to regenerative agriculture practices.
With climate change set to decrease the productivity of farming globally by up to 30%, we are at a critical moment for the agriculture industry. The Regenerating Together framework and broader programme unite the food and beverage industry to bring about large-scale, long-term systemic change to future-proof global food supply.
The framework sees over 30 agriculture cooperatives, industry giants and the broader 170-strong SAI Platform membership, including Nestlé, Danone, Unilever and PepsiCo commit to a global standard for regenerative agriculture. In collaboration with farmers, academia, NGOs and these businesses, SAI Platform has established an aligned approach to agriculture that aims to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change, improve soil health, support biodiversity, retain water in the soil and reduce its consumption while keeping farmers’ business viability central in a just transition approach. SAI Platform’s Regenerating Together programme aims to unite the agriculture industry with a common goal – a resilient and productive food system that will revitalise natural ecosystems and improve the quality of farmers’ livelihoods.
SAI Platform’s Regenerating Together framework is designed for practical use at farm-level to drive farmers’ transition to regenerative agriculture. It will allow crops, dairy and beef farmers anywhere in the world to work with supply chain partners to achieve measurable regenerative agriculture outcomes and enables the industry to translate the often-ambiguous concepts of regenerative agriculture into action at farm level. In addition, the framework will be integrated into SAI Platform’s existing industry solutions including the European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability (ERBS), the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) and the Sustainable Dairy Partnership (SDP).
Developed in consultation with farmers, academics and NGOs, the framework will assess, monitor and verify farm practices to aid the global transition towards regenerative agriculture. SAI Platform’s Regenerating Together programme identifies four key areas of impact – water, soil, biodiversity and climate – and has devised four clear steps through which to enact the framework: risk screening assessment, outcome selection, the adoption of principles and practices and the monitoring and assessment of progress.
Dionys Forster director general, SAI Platform commented: “At SAI Platform we have a proven track record of developing industry initiatives and programmes that continuously improve sustainability and deliver measurable outcomes in the agriculture sector. With our Regenerating Together programme, we are proud to be driving collaboration across the food and beverage industry at what is a critical moment for the sector. Regenerative agriculture is the way forward to ensure productivity and farm ecosystem viability – we must act now and further transition towards farming practices that protect the future of our planet. We look forward to continuing to work with our members and other industry players as we build towards this common goal.”
Katharine Teague, group ESG Director, ABF Sugar, commented: “SAI Platform’s ‘Regenerating Together’ framework is an exciting opportunity to drive outcomes and further build collaboration across the food and agriculture industry to make a more resilient, sustainable food system. We are looking forward to a framework that delivers long-term impacts for our farmers and value chain. By coming together, we can find workable solutions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and reducing soil health.”
Yves Leclerc, global director of agriculture sustainability, McCain: “We urgently need to transition towards a more regenerative food system – for our people and our planet. As Chair of the Regenerating Together Steering Committee, I am delighted that the Framework launched today will enable farmers to take action and implement regenerative practices, and crucially support the measurement and verification of progress. Having piloted the resources with our growers, I see the potential this can have to provide clarity and consistency on what regenerative agriculture means and the outcomes we are looking to achieve. The potential impact is huge and the development of this global Framework through cross-industry collaboration is a key step towards scaling the transition to more sustainable farming practices.”
Eric Soubeiran, vice-president business operations sustainability, Unilever: “SAI Platform’s Regenerating Together programme has grown from an industry recognition that we must evolve our approach to sustainable agriculture to continuously drive positive impact in our supply chains. As individual organisations we have set targets to implement regenerative agricultural practices, but this new framework brings leaders together to work towards one common commitment. We believe this framework sets a new standard for regenerative agriculture globally whilst providing the needed flexibility at farm level.”
