More than 50 representatives of U.S. agriculture will help develop standards for sustainable agriculture. The experts come from a variety of organizations that include agricultural producers, food and clothing manufacturers, retailers, government, environmental and labor groups, and academia.

The new Standards Committee met last week in Madison, Wisconsin, to identify the crucial issues that will likely be the focus of future discussions:

• The relationship between organic, mainstream and sustainable agriculture
• The place of genetically engineered crops in sustainable agriculture
• The degree to which sustainable agriculture standards should establish a path for continuous improvement
• The inclusion of small and mid-size farms, as well as large agri-businesses
• The sequestration of carbon in soils and the role of agriculture in the global fight against climate change
• The strength of labor protections
• The intersection of product safety and sustainability
• The scope of the standard -- whether it should extend beyond plant agriculture to include livestock and other sectors

"The issues involved in sustainable agriculture are complex," said Dr. James Barrett, a professor of environmental horticulture at the University of Florida who served as interim chairman at the committe's inaugural meeting. "As a result, there are many diverse, valid points of view that will need to be articulated and considered as this process unfolds."

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the voluntary standards body that oversees guidelines for almost every business sector in the United States, has provided rules and other guidance for the Standards Committee. Leonardo Academy, a non-profit organization that specializes in environmental issues and ANSI-accredited, is handling the details of the development.

The Standards Committee's next step is to break into work groups to conduct a needs assessment for the sustainability standard, identify potential funding sources and plan outreach to affected stakeholders. The Standards Committee has also recognized the Draft Standard for Trial Use published by Scientific Certification Systems. The draft will be used as a reference document for future standards development.

"We appreciate the acknowledgment of the Committee and are delighted that the draft standard has helped to stimulate this national dialogue and to get the ball rolling toward the development of a consensus standard," said Linda Brown, executive vice president of Scientific Certification Systems and a Standards Committee member. "Looking ahead, the draft standard will continue to inform the process, both as a reference document and through real world examples of companies who are already meeting its requirements and adopting new sustainability practices in accordance with its provisions."

Photo — Evan Agee