Leading Harvest is advancing sustainable agriculture. Now, they're piloting their Farmland Management Standard in Canada. This comes as Canada focuses on its first sustainable agriculture plan. The pilot follows the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership's launch, aiming to bolster the agricultural sector.
Oliver Williams of Manulife Investment Management praises Leading Harvest, hinting at its potential for creating a global sustainability benchmark. The Standard was initially introduced in the U.S., and now covers nearly 3 million acres with 100+ crops globally. It found success in Australia and eyes Canadian expansion due to the nation's growing demand for sustainability in food and agriculture.
Kenny Fahey, the boss of Leading Harvest, says it's really important to have farming methods that are good for the environment and can be checked. He believes their method's quick popularity shows this. The test in Canada proves that they can get better results when the farming world works together.
The pilot's facilitation came from Manulife Investment Management, Bonnefield Financial, Farm Credit Canada, and McCain Foods. It will adjust the U.S. and Australia's standard to fit Canada's unique agricultural conditions, with insights from stakeholders and field tests. Leading Harvest hopes to bring in more participants throughout the pilot.
Leading Harvest is a non-profit organization that helps farmers make their operations more sustainable. They do this by providing standards and education, and by auditing farms to make sure they are meeting the standards. Leading Harvest has almost 3 million acres of farmland enrolled in their program, and they are supported by major food companies like Cargill, Nestlé and John Deere.
Source : wisconsinagconnection