August 31, 2023

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

As we face unprecedented challenges in feeding a growing global population, while also trying to mitigate the negative environmental effects of doing so, sustainability has become foremost in the minds of agricultural producers, investors, and consumers. 

But how do you know that your operation is sustainable? How do you know if the measures that are being taken are having the intended benefits? These are questions that not only have implications for the environment and the fight against climate change, but also have weight for impact investors striving to track and quantify improvements stemming from sustainability initiatives.

In recent years, the good intentions of farmers and others along the food supply chain have been faced with a complex landscape of sustainability platforms that use divergent data tools, metrics, and scales to attempt to measure factors associated with a single crop, issue, or stakeholder interest. This fragmentation has led to a lack of participation in key sustainability efforts, and has contributed to consumer mistrust.

It became clear that if sustainability initiatives were to be fully successful and be met with confidence on the retail end, an organized, universal management and quantification standard was critical. 

Leading Harvest, an industry leader in agriculture sustainability, was launched on Earth Day in April 2020 presenting the first universal, outcomes-based sustainability standard focused on the continuous improvement of agriculture. And since that time, it has been a game-changer. 

Just three years after its U.S. launch, nearly 3 million acres representing more than 100 crop types globally have enrolled. This success has led to the platform launching in Australia earlier this year, with enrollment across all six states. 

“Leading Harvest is a game-changer. The organization has demonstrated certification can be applied across all crop types, geographies, and management systems to provide assurance that operations are well rooted in best practices, while ensuring a commitment to robust management and continuous improvement,” said Oliver Williams, global head of Agricultural Investments at Manulife Investment Management and member of the Leading Harvest Board of Directors. 

Now the standard is turning its eye toward Canada. As the country’s federal government works to establish its first sustainable agriculture strategy – and only months after the launch of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership between the federal, provincial, and territorial governments – to strengthen the agriculture, agrifood, and agri-based products sectors, Leading Harvest has announced it is piloting its third-party audited Farmland Management Standard in the country. 

Facilitated with anchoring support from Manulife Investment Management with additional support from Bonnefield Financial, Farm Credit Canada, and McCain Foods, the pilot will adapt the same Farmland Management Standard that was implemented in the U.S. and then Australia, but modified for Canada’s unique agronomic, regulatory, and operating environment considerations, obtained through stakeholder input and field testing. 

This expansion is in answer to growing demand for sustainability assurance across the Canadian ag and food sectors, and Leading Harvest expects to see increasing participation and representation from across the ag value chain over the course of the pilot, with plans to officially launch in the country by the end of 2023. 

“There is an increasingly urgent demand for verification of sustainable practices from farmers, consumers, and investors alike,” said  Kenny Fahey, president and CEO, Leading Harvest.  “Farmers, agribusiness operators, and others across the food and agriculture sectors must now deliver on ambitious commitments, and on short timelines.”

“The rapid expansion of Leading Harvest’s Farmland Management Standard across continents and hemispheres is a testament to the need for a sector-wide, universally applicable framework for continuously improving agricultural sustainability,” continued Fahey.

“With our Canadian pilot, Leading Harvest continues to demonstrate that alignment across the value chain can drive greater outcomes for all. We appreciate the leadership of our Canadian pilot participants and look forward to welcoming more food and agriculture leaders from across Canada on this journey.”

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Unconventional Ag. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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