Sustainable Food Group: Science-based capacity building for improving food and fiber supply chain sustainability from farm to consumer

1. Reduce pesticide risks including improving health of consumers, workers and their families. Improve environment including water and air quality, biodiversity, greenhouse gas reduction. 2. Reduce economic risk to farmers, processors, exporters and buyers, and food waste resulting from rejected product exceeding Maximum Residue Limits. 3. Improve supply chain sustainability performance including by food and fiber product buyers, importers, exporters, processors and farmers by providing unbiased, science-based information on pest and nutrient management and other strategies to optimize input use and outcomes, and reduce associated risks. 4. Provide information, tools, and training, and connect supply chain partners with additional expertise to build effective programs that identify, prioritize and reduce negative impacts through strategies such as crop, pest and soil health monitoring, science-based thresholds for action including input use-decisions, and low-impact strategies such as beneficial insects and non-chemical approaches to minimize crop losses, food wastes and negative impacts on health and environment. 5. Improve transparency for buyers into impacts, practices, opportunities for improvement. 6. Incorporate existing research and regulations including expert-recommended practices and outcome measures. 7. Support farmers and supply chain partners with in-person and remote training for organic, organic-transition and conventional production on implementing cultural, biological and low-impact chemical tactics and other sustainable farming strategies. 8. Reduce negative impacts of agriculture and help farmers and supply chain partners credibly communicate commitment and progress towards greater sustainability. 1. IPM Institute coordinated an effort with farmers, a processor/exporter and an importer/distributor to identify and prioritize opportunities for improvement in a black pepper supply chain. We drafted a plan including a budget which was approved and implemented on-site, hosted webinar training for the processor field staff and on-site trainings for more than 250 farmers, and created production guides for organic and conventional black pepper. Currently initial organic certification audits are underway for the first group of farmers. 2. Since 2004, IPM Institute has supported fresh and processed fruit and vegetable supply chain sustainability programs initiated by US buyers involving thousands of farms in developing countries. We have designed and managed programs, developed and operated farmer performance evaluation tools, identified and coordinated engagement with in-country experts, conducted site-visits, coordinated third-party audits, managed annual evaluation and reporting, and built capacity all along supply chains. 3. IPM Institute has developed and currently operates tools to evaluate pesticide risks, identify and promote lower-risk alternatives, and measure and report progress. 1. Supply chains from farmers to buyers improve capacity to monitor and improve performance in all aspects of sustainable agriculture. 2. Farmers improve practices including worker safety, planting, nutrient and pest management, improving resource efficiency and net returns, and reducing impacts on health and environment. 3. Farm workers and farm worker families experience reduced pesticide exposure including to high toxicity pesticides. 4. Farmers, processors, exporters and importers experience fewer product rejections due to illegal pesticide residues. 5. Farmers transition more acreage to organic production and earn additional income. 6. Consumers benefit from reduced pesticide residues on food product. 7. Participants all along the supply chain are equipped to answer questions from customers, employees, shareholders and activists about impacts and practices in supply chains. 8. Supply chain participants are able to credibly communicate improvements including in corporate social responsibility and sustainability reports, success stories on websites and other internal and external communications. 9. Buyers reduce liability from high risk practices in their supply chains. Food buyers, processors, producers, importers, exporters, farmer groups, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and others are invited to visit sustainablefoodgroup.org and contact us at info@sustainablefoodgroup.org or 1-608-232-1410. Next steps can include needs identification and proposal development.