WASHINGTON, DC, US — The US Grains Council’s (USGC) Corn Sustainability Assurance Protocol (CSAP) Version 1.1, a farmer-led program, has achieved Gold Level Equivalence against the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment 3.0, the highest equivalence level.
The CSAP highlights the strong institutional sustainability foundations underpinning US agriculture, as well as the traditional and innovative techniques of US corn producers. The 1.1 version of the CSAP incorporates new language, further expanding the assurances of the sustainability of US corn production across the various impact categories assessed in the benchmarking process.
The SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment is a globally recognized framework and toolset aimed at supporting on-farm sustainability practices. More than 100 programs across five continents have been benchmarked against the Farm Sustainability Assessment, helping create alignment and a common understanding of sustainability for farmers, agribusiness and consumers.
“US corn production has always been anchored to the strong foundations of the US agricultural system, which includes numerous incentives for producers to implement conservation practices, as well as strict and enforceable regulations that ensure natural resources are protected and preserved,” said Ryan LeGrand, president and chief executive officer, USGC. “The Corn Sustainability Assurance Protocol captures the full scope of these assurances in corn production, and we are now glad to see them recognized through the achievement of gold-level equivalency with SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment.”
SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment 3.0 is a global reference framework that helps farmers and the broader agricultural value chain to demonstrate sustainability and identify opportunities for continuous improvement, ensuring alignment with the objectives of the Farm Sustainability Assessment.
The USGC said the benchmark will support its agricultural business members and their clients, who use the CSAP and the Sustainable Corn Exports (SCE) online platform to produce records of sustainability for US corn and other corn-product exports that international trading partners and end-users are requesting.
“Achieving FSA Gold Level Equivalency is very valuable and important for the CSAP and our industry,” said Andrew Brandt, director of trade policy, USGC. “The enhanced version allows us to incorporate new language that showcases and strengthens the assurances our producers are already committed to in terms of the impacts associated with their activities. This means that international buyers of corn and corn-products will now have a much more robust tool to address sustainable sourcing requirements within global supply chains.”
