A new voluntary program spearheaded by Canada’s soybean value-chain group is expected to help Canadian soy growers seeking a sustainability mark for their goods.
Soy Canada on March 28 announced the rollout of Sustainable Canadian Soy, a program it said will be available for the 2023 growing season. Exporters and handlers who supply customers that have been asking for sustainability verification are lined up to manage the program.
The verification would include a third-party assessment for a “small number” of participating growers each year, Soy Canada said. Interested IP and food-grade soybean growers can sign up through participating exporters or grain handlers.
Read Also
Artificial intelligence put to work on extension
Farm Credit Canada and Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) have unveiled a generative artificial intelligence tool called Root
Brian Innes, the executive director for Ottawa-based Soy Canada, described the new verification as “a market-driven solution that will enable our industry to compete for market share and enhance the sustainability of Canadian farms and the entire soybean value chain.”
MORE READING: Feds open up consultations for sustainable ag strategy
The Sustainable Canadian Soy program is set up using the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA), a whole-farm benchmarking and assessment system developed by the Swiss-based not-for-profit SAI (Sustainable Agriculture Initiative) Platform. According to SAI, over 200,000 farms in over 40 countries are now in FSA-verified farm groups.
For growers, taking part in Sustainable Canadian Soy includes completing an on-farm sustainability questionnaire on matters of “economic viability, social responsibility and environmental stewardship,” Soy Canada said.
So far, “interest in the program is coming from users of food-grade and identity-preserved (IP) soybeans,” Innes said.
Soy Canada said it developed Sustainable Canadian Soy with “extensive” farmer and industry consultation, and with some funding through the federal AgriAssurance program.
Soy growers in Canada are already following sustainable practices, Innes said, and many of those already take part in value-added programs that “meet the needs of customers and offer premiums.”
Companies taking part in Sustainable Canadian Soy so far include The Andersons, Hensall Co-op, Ceresco, Snobelen Farms, Sevita International, St-Lawrence Beans and Huron Commodities.
The FSA “focuses on meeting customer needs and values” and lines up with the Sustainable Canadian Soy program’s priorities, including land use efficiency, “climate-smart” farming, soil health, water stewardship, biodiversity and habitat, Soy Canada said.
FSA is also benchmarked to other soybean programs worldwide such as The Roundtable on Responsible Soy, International Sustainability and Carbon Certification, and the U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol, Soy Canada said. — Glacier FarmMedia Network
