Environment
THE AUSTRALIAN SUSTAINABLE ALMOND PROGRAM
Never before have food producers been more engaged or accountable for their production practices and their impact on the planet and people . Verifying the Australian almond industry ' s sustainability credentials has underpinned the extensive work being conducted by the Almond Board and stakeholders . The ABA was the first Horticulture peak industry body to appoint a Sustainability Officer and has since launched a benchmarking portal to assist and guide growers as they embark on verifying the on-farm grower practices . The first modules have recently been launched and growers will be undertaking workshops to maximise the use of the portal and what it offers .
The Hort360 Almond portal has been developed via a framework that facilitates self improvement , as well as educates within and engages external stakeholders . The journey recognises the need to provide solutions and independent verifiable data that address the three fundamental considerations of sustainable farming : People , Planet and Prosperity . The past 20 years of growth reflects an Australian almond industry that is innovative , efficient and responsive .
The industry is committed to reducing our environmental footprint , maximising value and ensuring the sustainability of almond growth and production in Australia . As part of our commitment to a sustainable industry has been the acknowledgement that best management practice in today ' s world must be sustainable . Sustainability cannot be tackled in isolation but be omnipresent in all considerations of any operation to help drive acceptance further down the supply chain . In order to embed this across the industry , the Almond Board has embarked on developing a best management practice guide that in the first instance will provide growers with a benchmarking tool .
The on-line portal will has sustainability content interwoven with the latest best management practices on a wide range of on-farm activities . It allows growers to assess their own operation and identify strengths and weaknesses confidentially . This pilot program will be a critical first step in the inevitable journey to formalising the industry ' s credentials and allow both processors and the ABA aggregate data to support their sustainability status .
The ABA ' s Sustainability Committee is made up of industry stakeholders from small to corporate to ensure a collaborative approach is maintained . The almond industry , like many others in ag , continues to identify common goals and metrics to ensure equitable comparisons are made across the agriculture landscape while aligning with United Nations ’ Sustainability Development Goals ( SDG ).
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