Overview
About the Sustainable Agriculture Standard
Objective and Need
The objective of the sustainable agriculture standard-setting initiative is to establish a comprehensive, continuous improvement framework and common set of economic, environmental and social metrics by which to determine whether an agricultural crop has been produced and handled in a sustainable manner.
A national standard for sustainable agriculture has the potential to address a range of stakeholder needs, including supporting producer efforts to adopt sustainable production practices, establishing a framework for continuous improvement along the agricultural supply chain, providing a means of clear communication of sustainability achievements and harmonizing the myriad of sustainable agriculture standards that are currently in place or in development. Read the Needs Assessment Task Force Brief to the Full Standards Committee for more information on the need for a sustainable agriculture standard.
Donate Today to Support Sustainable Agriculture
Leonardo Academy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, seeks your tax-deductible contributions to fund the development of a Sustainable Agriculture Standard and to support active participation by as many stakeholders as possible.
Important Dates
- Subcommittee Teleconferences - Please visit the Sustainable Agriculture Standard project calendar for upcoming teleconference dates.
- Sustainable Agriculture Standard Development Timeline
Who's Involved - The 58-member Sustainable Agriculture Standard Development Committee (Standards Committee) consists of a skilled, diverse membership representing a broad range of perspectives from across all areas of agriculture, including commodity producers; specialty crop producers; agricultural product processors and distributors; food retailers; environmental, labor, and development organizations; NGOs; industry trade associations; government representatives; academics; regulators; and certifiers.
Supporting the Standards Committee are six subcommittees that have been working since July 2009 to develop the structure of the standard; draft economic, environmental, and social criteria for possible inclusion in the standard; and develop communications materials for process stakeholders; and collect resources to include in the Sustainable Agriculture Standard Reference Library.
