 There is such a diversity of farmers! Just consider the differences between a dairy farmer who has a year-round production but a very perishable product and a coffee farmer who harvests once a year and can store the crop. Their jobs, strategies and responsibilities are even more diverse than the different job roles in a FMCG company. Sustainable farming acknowledges diversity and at the same time maintains a clear focus on its key objectives: provide a good life for a farmer in a prosperous community and in a healthy natural environment that supports the farm with the necessary “eco-services”.
We must always keep that in mind when developing tools for sustainable sourcing.
Merry Christmas & a wonderful 2013, on behalf of the SAI Platform secretariat.
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The SAI Platform membership’s growth has been exponential over the last five years. We are delighted to welcome on board six new members: a brewer, two malt producers, a hops grower and two associations respectively of pulse growers and beef and lamb farmers. Find out more about them.
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Making it happen: the nuts and bolts  
of sustainable supply chains
Save the date – SAI Platform General Assembly 2013
Next year our General Assembly (GA) will will take place on April 11,
2013 in Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis (Maryland).
The GA will be combined with a high level workshop on April 10th , jointly organized by SAI Platform and Sustainable Food Lab and two learning journeys on the 8th and 9th.
It will be a great occasion to all meet up again, to discuss, debate and network.
See the joint invitation with draft program. Are you Interested in attending?
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Checklist for farmer self assesment
Targeted stakeholder and members consultation on going
 The aim of this project is to develop a simple tool for farmer self assesment and to create a basic common understanding at industry level, cutting through the proliferation of different codes and standards.
A taskforce from two Working Groups (Arable & Vegetable Crops and Fruit) with the help of consultants from Utz Certified and AidEnvironment transformed more than 230 items of the Principles and Practices into 100 clear checkpoints. The checklist is currently undergoing a stakeholder consultation.
To receive a copy of the draft Checklist, contact the Secretariat
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Upcoming executives training on sustainability
Next SAI Platform’s master class June 3-4, Lausanne, Switzerland.
 The unique Master Class on Sustainability for Executives which we co-developed a few years ago with the renowned Swiss Business School IMD is being offered to interested parties in an increasing number of regions. Last month, a revised version of the course adapted to Latin America was provided by the the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The original course will be provided again at IMD’s in Lausanne, Switzerland on June 3-4.
Special discounted fees for SAI Platform members. Sign up or find out more.
Next November, a revised version of the course adapted to North America will be provided by Rollins College in Florida, USA.
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 Financial tool for farmers
Sustainable farming = profitable farming
The underlying idea for the development of a simple tool by the WG Arable & Vegetable Crops, that relates the cost of farm inputs to the revenues of a specific harvest, was that sustainable farming equals to profitable farming.
Yield/ha is not the key parameter, but rather revenue-cost/ton of production. Even reduced inputs as a result of a proper rotation show that sustainable and profitable farming team up rather than trade off each other. Check it out with your supplying farmers and tell us what you think.
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Sustainable Sourcing Guide for Practitioners
The handy manual to be published in March
SAI Platform has partnered with IDH, ITC and IMD – with active support from BSR, SEDEX and SFL – to produce the first sustainable sourcing guide for practitioners. A draft was presented at a workshop at the International Supply Management Congress in November. The feedback from the participants (food companies, NGOs, researchers) was very positive. The guide is now entering its final phase and will be released in March.
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 Videos for farmers
“Access Agriculture” project officially launched
The project “Access Agriculture”, showcasing sustainable agricultural training videos in local languages, was officially launched in Nairobi, Kenya, last month. The new website already offers a wide range of videos on various crops in many different languages. You can contacy Access Agriculture if you would be interested in having videos developed by professional companies. You are welcome to submit your own videos.
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Working Groups and Chapters:
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 Chinese Dairy Chapter
SAI Platform presence in China consolidating
Further to the inaugural meeting held in Shanghai in July this year, the Chinese Chapter held a second meeting in September in Beijing. The CEO of Huaxia made a presentation and the discussions focused on traceability and transparency throughout the supply chain in order to identify and address the sustainability of certain practices. The Group is now committed to working collaboratively on sustainability issues and wants to establish a suitable structure, work plan and operating budget. The efforts of Timothy Leviny (LandO’Lakes), James Hao (East Rock Farm Technologies) and Mark Lyons (Alltech) are greatly appreciated in the challenging “establishment” phase of this group.
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Members at work
Latest Working Groups’ activities and meetings
In the last quarter of 2012 the Working Groups, SAI Platform’s backbone, worked on many activities and projects. Ranging from the GHG guidelines being developed by the WG Beef, to the Product Category rule of WG Coffee, from the review of the Principles and Practices by the WG Diary to the project “How do to grow sustainably” of the WG Fruit, from the financial tool for sustainable farming of WG Arable & Vegetable Crops to the sustainable water management initiative of the WG Water. See all
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