London and Geneva 17th April
A new report by Earth Security offers an innovation framework for CEOs of global agri-business companies to navigate a more complex set of systemic social and environmental pressures around the world. The report will help companies to implement the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI), developed by the Committee on World Food Security, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in their strategy, business model development, and impact assessments.
At a time when investors and global clients are increasing the scrutiny of agri-businesses for their impact on sustainable development, Earth Security’s report, developed in collaboration with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Global Agri-business Alliance (GAA), and supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); guides companies to implement the CFS-RAI principles and SDGs in the way they do business.
The report recommends key areas for greater collaboration of agri-businesses on critical issues such as smallholder development, youth participation in agriculture, accountability for the sector’s negative impacts, and land tenure security. The report shows how the CFS-RAI principles, developed through an extensive consultation of stakeholders and selected ‘SDG targets’ provide the basis to measure, monitor and communicate corporate progress on issues that are of vital interest to society.
Sunny Verghese, Chair of WBCSD, Co-Founder & Group CEO of Olam International said: “Earth Security provides a strategic framework for agri-businesses to invest in areas of sustainable growth, backed by a series of innovative business models and cross-sector cooperation opportunities. Their translation of CFS-RAI principles and SDG targets into a business implementation framework will help the sector’s continuous improvement in impact measurement and strategic cross-sector collaboration.”
Alejandro Litovsky, CEO of Earth Security noted that “The CFS-RAI principles and the SDGs offer companies an innovation framework that systematically covers all the issues they need to consider to be truly sustainable and inclusive. Fully realizing the potential of agri-businesses in food and non-food crops to become stewards of natural resources and vibrant farming communities is essential to companies’ long- term value.”
Find more reports here.
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