Diageo, alongside 39 other global food and drink organisations, has signed a shared declaration to support the development of regenerative agriculture practices.
Carlsberg, FreislandCampina and Mondelez are amongst the organisations who have joined Diageo in supporting the upcoming launch of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform’s new Regenerating Together Programme.
SAI Platform said that the signed declaration “marks a significant step” towards industry alignment on regenerative agriculture, with
the 40 signatories spanning vast global supply chains and varying production systems.
The Regenerating Together Programme aims to showcase how regenerative agriculture can offer solutions to challenges facing food systems, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, water stress, and pressure on farmer livelihoods.
The programme has invited global food and drink organisations to participate as SAI Platform noted that they believe that systemic change across the supply chain can only be achieved through collaboration.
Regenerating Together Programme
SAI Platform outlined that the programme is designed to “help the global food and beverage supply chain transition to regenerative agriculture.”
A list of “shared impact areas, outcomes and indicators” will reportedly feature within the programme, which has been developed with input from farmers, agronomists, non-governmental organisations, and academics.
According to the SAI Platform, the participating global companies are “committing to working collectively to support the transition towards regenerative agriculture in ways that are credible, scalable, and grounded in real-world farming contexts.”
More details will be revealed at the public launch for the Regenerating Together Programme at the SAI Platform’s annual event from June 22-24 in Saskatoon, Canada.
SAI Platform
The director general at SAI Platform, Dionys Forster described the programme receiving support from global food and drink companies as a “pivotal moment in moving regenerative agriculture
from ambition to action”.
Forster said: “The breadth and calibre of signatories is a clear signal that the industry is ready to leave fragmented approaches behind and work together towards meaningful change.
“The Regenerating Together Programme is designed to bring the industry together on regenerative agriculture but critically also flexible enough to take into account local farming contexts.
“By aligning on clear outcomes and indicators, this declaration lays the groundwork for progress that is collaborative, measurable and scalable, helping to protect and strengthen agricultural systems for years to come,” he added.
Food and drink
Speaking on Carlsberg’s participation in the programme, the global
head of sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG), Simon Boas Hoffmeyer commented: “To create and scale resilient agricultural supply chains, we need alignment and collaboration.
“The shared framework and common standards of SAI Platform’s Regenerating Together Programme offer consistency and credibility, while being practical for farmers and suppliers to engage.
“We look forward to championing this approach with our partners and suppliers.”
Source: agriland.co.uk
