agroindustry standards for biodiversity conservation dave gibson chemonics international...
TRANSCRIPT
Agroindustry Standards for Biodiversity Conservation Dave Gibson
Chemonics International
Biodiversity Conservation in Agriculture Symposium
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
May 31 – June 2, 2006
Outline
Driving Forces for Biodiversity in Agrifood
Typology & Application of Biodiversity Standards
Common Obstacles & Opportunities for
Agriculture Remains at the Center of The Global Biodiversity Crisis
70% of forest loss due to agricultural conversion
90% of the world’s forests lay outside of protected areas
If only current protected areas remain as habitat, we risk losing between 30-50% remaining species
Shifting Agrifood Concerns
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000
2005
Supermarket Consolidation Drives Agrifood Interests
0102030405060708090
100
1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
%
U.S. FranceBrazil & Korea China
* Courtesy Tom Reardon, Michigan State Univ.
Standards & Arm-Length Trading
Ensure quality conformity
Provide product traceability
Product Safety & healthiness
Cost reduction
Capture the value of environmental goods and services
Move “Pure Public” goods to “Market Goods” box
Risk Reduction!Risk Reduction!
Consumers
Producers
StandardsStandards
SuppliersSuppliers
ProcessorsProcessors
Value Chain Standard Types
Retail – Starbucks CAFÉ, Fair Trade, Food Manufacturers – BRC, IFS, ISO 14001/22000 Agricultural production – EurepGAP Meta-standards – Organics, Rainforest Alliance, BMP
ProcessorsBrokers Retailers ConsumersFarmers
RetailManufacturerProduction
Meta Standards
Retail – Starbucks Café Subject Area: Environmental Leadership Principle: Employ coffee farming
practices that maintain and enhance the presence and viability of biological resources found within and adjacent to coffee production areas
Criteria, Indicators & Scoring Maintain coffee shade (5 pts) Protect wildlife (5 pts) Establish conservation areas (5 pts)
Food Manufacturers – British Retail Consortium (BRC)
Aimed food safety, traceability, quality management
Integrates raw products through finished foods
Waste disposal must meet national regulations
Contamination of product more important than ecosystem loss
Agricultural Production - EUREPGAP
1 Minor Must and 5 Recommendations: Has a conservation management plan
been established (either individually or on a regional basis)?
Documented wildlife conservation plan that refers specifically to the farm
Baseline audit of species and HVC areas
Actions to expand diversity to other sites
Meta-standards – Sustainable Food Lab
Soy, Sugar, Palm Oil, Cotton Focused on non-3rd party
verification:
Sustainable Food Laboratory
Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform
IFC BMP Program
Meta-standards – IFC’s BMP Program
Crop Places Impacted
Partnering Corporations
Cotton India, Pakistan, Brazil, China, West Africa
Adidas, GAP, IKEA, H & M, Nike, Wal-Mart, Rabobank, ABN-AMRO
Sugar-cane
Brazil, India, Honduras, East Africa, Vietnam, Australia, US
Cadbury-Schweppes, Cargill, Coca-Cola, Tate & Lyle, Unilever, SAB Miller, Rabobank, IFC
Palm Oil
Indonesia, Malaysia, Honduras, Brazil, PNG
Unilever, Cadbury-Schweppes, The Body Shop, IFC
Soy Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, US, China
Unilever, Bunge, COOP, Cargill, Group AMaggi, IFC, Sadia, HSBC, Rabobank, HSBC, ABN-Amro,
Meta-standards-Rainforest Alliance/SAN
Principle Criteria Indicator
Wildlife Protection
Wildlife & habitat inventory maintained
Lists of species Habitat maps Field signage
All key ecosystems identified Written policy Restoration activities T/E habitats managed
Ecosystem Conservation
All ecosystems must be protected Recovery plan for T/E’s Shade tree conservation Demonstrated understanding
Aquatic ecosystems on and off farm maintained
Policies & procedures in place Proximity to PA’s, BZ & corridors Sustainability biologically demon.
Biodiversity within Organic Standards
Land Clearing
Set Asides
Buffer Zones
Wild Products
Waste Water
IFOAM Primary ecosystems prohibited
Significant portions
Only buffers prohibited
substances
Harvest yield only from
sustainable environments
No surface water
pollution
USNOP N/A N/A Only buffers prohibited
substances
Sustain growth of wild
crop
Restricted to farm only
BIO-SUISSE
Primary & secondary
forests prohibited
7%
of total area
Managed buffers count
toward set aside
Sustain growth of wild
crop
3 meter riparian
exclusion required
EU N/A N/A Only buffers prohibited
substances
Sustain growth of wild
crop
Restricted to farm only
USNOP Biodiversity Rules
Organic production: A production system that is managed in accordance with the Act and regulations in this part to respond to
site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote
ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.
But there are no specific requirements stated!
§205.203(c) “Manage plant and animal materials to maintain or improve soil organic matter content in a manner that does not
contribute to contamination of crops, soil, or water by plant nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or residues of
prohibited substances.”
Formulate Policy
Implementation
Corrective Action
Management Review
Develop Plan
ContinualContinual
ImprovementImprovement
1. Develop conservation policy appropriate to farm operations
2. Conduct baseline inventory to understand conservation needs
3. Set Objectives & targets for HCV areas and, other farm operations
4. Implement the conservation policy & plan
5. Benchmark performance of conservation system
6. Set aside resources and management time to review and modify system
7. Communicate results!
Common Elements of Standards
Emerging Trends – Obstacles
Food safety concerns overshadow biodiversity
Lack of landscape planning context & capacity
Inadequate incentives for conformance
Access to standards Cost of maintaining certification
Emerging Trends: Opportunities
Proliferation slowing Structural uniformity Planning & management-driven Ecosystem focus emerging Local capacity growing Consumers starting to pay Multinationals listening
Project-Level BMPs
Assure that biodiversity standards are routine values within BDS outsourcing projects
Build conservation awareness & capacity in associations as part of competitiveness strategies
Ease conservation standard entry by clustering producers & processors or retailers
Consider working with DCA & multilaterals to establish credit windows & insurance for “certified” commodities
Promising Approaches Include
Accelerate access to clean production through regulatory relief, P2/CP tariffs, and P3’s
Review & strengthen host country capacity to promote & support application of environment and conservation standards
Help build 3rd party capacity to implement and audit to private standards that incorporate conservation values
Trade Integration Standards Support Solutions
Trade Standards Practitioners Network Established
Conduct routine screening of project interventions for market conformity, compliance with regulations, and cost reduction
Guide series demystifies standards
Trade Standard Integration Portal
www.tradestandards.org
Required Voluntary
National Regulatio
ns
National Regulatio
ns
Conventions &
VoluntaryInitiatives
Conventions &
VoluntaryInitiatives
InternationalVoluntaryStandards
InternationalVoluntaryStandards
National
International
Trends in Biodiversity Standards