Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform: Growth from the ground up

With each passing day, a growing world population demands more and more of the Earth’s resources in the production of food. In an unprecedented move to meet the challenges of the future and preserve the environment for future generations, the food industry is taking steps to promote change from the ground up through the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform.

SAI is a platform created by the food industry worldwide led by Nestle, Danone, and Unilever to actively support the development of sustainable agriculture. By doing so, the SAI Platform hopes to guarantee food for a growing population through efficient use of resources.

On November 16, 2006, the First Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform Philippine Convention will be held at the Emerald Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila, heralding a concerted effort by the private sector, academe and government to meet the demands of the future.

People, profit and the planet

Sustainable agriculture has relevant social, environmental and economic dimensions which can have a tremendous impact on our daily lives. With proper implementation, it has the potential to improve the quality of life of people through attainable goals which produce profit while promoting wise stewardship of our planet’s resources.

The quality and safety of food are vitally important, since they relate to the health of populations around the world and represent important consumer concerns. The SAI platform undertakes to improve the quality, safety and nutritional value of agricultural products by producing agricultural products with balanced nutritional content, ensuring the safety of agricultural products arising from the farm, and minimizing the risks of residues (e.g. pesticides residues) in the end-product.

Since agricultural performance and profitability are closely linked to the well-being of farmers and rural communities, SAI platform also addresses issues that hinder farmers delivering their inputs and exercising their skills. Specifically, its goal will be to build attractive farming livelihoods and vibrant, adaptive rural communities that will empower them and increase their self-reliance.

From an environmental perspective, sustainable agriculture has the overall objective of preserving the environmental resources and favors the use of renewable resources. The SAI platform addresses issues involving the optimal use of natural resources and how best to minimize the impact of agricultural activities on different geographical scales.

For instance, the availability of land and fertile soil is a limited resource that should be protected by strictly guarding against the improper use of fertilizers and pesticides which can lead to soil pollution and loss of arable land.

Water is also a crucial input for farming, which accounts for a significant part of all worldwide water use. Besides agriculture, many other activities and even life itself critically depend on a reliable water supply and adequate water quality. Irrigation may be a major threat to water supply and the improper use of pesticides and fertilizers have adverse effects on water quality.

The SAI platform even encompasses issues related to air pollution. Agriculture, particularly with the high use of fertilizers and pesticides, can cause air pollution, leading to negative effects on the environment, plant damage, and contamination of soils or water. It also affects the quality of life of adjacent populations. For example, land preparation, fertilization and tillage release greenhouse gases while methane is emitted from livestock. Farming transport activities also cause air pollution from fossil fuels.

Energy is an essential resource in all farming systems. In particular, agriculture uses energy from non-renewable resources. Therefore, sustainable agriculture includes the objectives of ensuring that energy inputs from non-renewable resources are minimized; and that when possible, alternative energy sources like bio fuel is used.

Aside from these concerns, the SAI platform also tackles issues involving biodiversity, crop health and animal welfare. It is a massive undertaking that needs the full support of the private sector, government and academe if it is to have a lasting impact on our lives.

SAI Platform Philippines

SAI Europe guest speaker, Patrick Leheup is also slated to discuss the benefits of SAI, in addition to global trends and practices. Leheup shall also share the worldwide success stories of SAI Platform and provide advice on how to organize a local SAI Platform.

The day-long event will allow leaders of various food manufacturing companies to share their insights and concerns about sustainable agriculture in an open forum with government, the academe and other interested parties. It is through this frank and open spirit of cooperation that the SAI Platform hopes will spark a significant move towards progress and growth for all concerned.

Also scheduled for the convention is an hour-long presentation of a case study involving coffee partner crops. This will serve as a concrete example of how a sustainable agriculture program might induce more people to invest their land, money and effort into a lucrative and financially viable endeavor.

To find out more about SAI platform and access their database of sustainable agricultural practices, please visit www.saiplatform.org

To know more about how you can participate at the First SAI Platform Philippine Convention, call Cindie Wong or Karl Domingo at the SAI Platform secretariat at (062) 687-2649 or (062) 687-2692. You may also email us at [email protected].