With all the talk of sustainable farming and conservation agriculture, skeptics may wonder if this new paradigm is nothing but hot air.
The topic has been discussed for years, but concrete expectations are already here for Canadian producers and will soon become a reality, says Erin Gowriluk, government relations and policy manager for the Alberta Wheat Commission.
“I think we are getting closer and closer,” he said.
“We have canola growers in Canada that have completed their ISCC certification in order to meet the requirements of the biodiesel market in the European Union.”
Read Also
Lethbridge Polytechnic receives major donation
Multimillion-dollar donation by Hranac family aids Lethbridge Polytechnic’s research in integrated food production systems, irrigation science and post-harvest technology in Alberta
Gowriluk is playing a lead role in developing sustainable agriculture standards in Canada. She is a member of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops, which was officially launched last November to advance the sustainability of Canadian grain production.
Critics of sustainable agriculture say the phrase has little meaning because there are no definite measurements to demonstrate how certain farming practices improve things such as biodiversity and water quality.
A main goal of the roundtable, whose members include commodity groups, Cargill, McDonald’s and the Canadian Fertilizer Institute, is to nail down ways to measure and monitor sustainable grain and oilseed production.
Gowriluk, who co-chairs a roundtable committee studying that question, said the roundtable in-cludes the entire value chain be-cause they want to develop a solution that works for everyone.
“Growers, grower associations, grain handlers and processors, retail customers, food service customers and NGOs (non-governmental organizations), (they’re) all at the table…. That ensures when we establish these indicators and metrics, that we have complete buy in from everybody,” she said.
“The purpose now of the pilot project is really to identify the indicators. We’re calling them indicators, or metrics, for recognizing sustainable grain and oilseed production practices.”
Major buyers of agricultural commodities, such as Unilever, have already established sustainability guidelines for agricultural commodities. Unilever has committed to “sustainably source” 100 percent of its agricultural commodities by 2020.
Unilever’s protocols include standards around the use of chemicals, fertilizer, energy and biodiversity.
Gowriluk said Unilever and others don’t plan to impose their guidelines on Canadian growers.
“Unilever, if you look at their code, they’re very explicit that it doesn’t necessarily have to be Unilever’s code,” she said. “They’re prepared to look at equivalent schemes.”
Gowriluk said other companies want to collaborate because they lack sustainability guidelines for grains and oilseeds.
“They’re going to be at the table, contributing to the conversation, because they’re interested in the development of a made-in-Canada solution,” she said.
“By creating this made-in-Canada solution … we can say collectively (that) we have a set of indicators and metrics that we know will satisfy your (corporate) requirements.”
Gowriluk said a cohesive effort should benefit farmers because grain and oilseed producers want a single set of sustainability guidelines.
“Farmers do not want to be faced with a multitude of different programs and a different set of requirements depending on what commodity they’re selling.”
Chantelle Donahue, Cargill Canada’s senior director of corporate affairs and co-chair of the roundtable, said the group is taking its time and wants to get the metrics right.
“You don’t want to rush these things. You need to make sure that you’re meeting the needs of the marketplace.”
Gowriluk said the roundtable is developing sustainability measuring sticks based on six environmental objectives:
- agriculture practices
- social issues
- soil quality
- biodiversity
- greenhouse gas emissions
- water management
She said some research has al-ready been done to evaluate things such as greenhouse gas emissions and social issues.
“It’s about pulling all the pieces together. We’re not looking to re-invent the wheel.”
The roundtable will also build on work already done in Alberta. Four commodity commissions and 40 farmers participated in the Alberta Crops Sustainability Certification pilot, in which they tested international sustainability standards on Alberta farms. A third party studied producers’ approaches to environmental stewardship, use of precision agriculture, nutrient testing and monitoring of water quality.
Gowriluk said the roundtable committee for metrics and sus-tainability indicators will hold its first official meeting Oct. 6.
Establishing guidelines won’t be easy, but the roundtable wants to move forward in a timely manner, she said.
