ASABE Standard establishes sustainable agriculture framework.
Press Release Summary:
Standard completed by American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) establishes framework for charting progress toward sustainable agricultural production. ANSI/ASABE S629, Framework to Evaluate the Sustainability of Agricultural Production Systems, includes provisions for defining and benchmarking key performance indicators (KPIs), setting goals, implementing strategies for continuous improvements, and reporting improvements.
Original Press Release:
ASABE Develops Standard to Establish Framework for Sustainable Agriculture
ST JOSEPH, MICHIGAN— The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has completed a standard that establishes a framework for charting progress toward sustainable agricultural production.
ANSI/ASABE S629, Framework to Evaluate the Sustainability of Agricultural Production Systems, includes provisions for defining and benchmarking key performance indicators, setting goals, implementing strategies for continuous improvements, and reporting improvements. The standard is intended for application with all typical farming operations found around the world.
This framework is not intended to be a prescriptive criterion for creating a sustainability certification program. It is anticipated that the key performance indicators developed across these frameworks will differ based upon the location, scope, and sector of agriculture for which the framework is applied.
ASABE members with standards access and those with site-license privileges can access the full-text of the standard by electronic download in about six weeks. Location for the download is on the ASABE online Technical Library at: elibrary.asabe.org. Others can obtain a copy for a fee directly from the library or by contacting ASABE headquarters at OrderStandard@asabe.org.
ASABE is recognized worldwide as a standards developing organization for food, agricultural, and biological systems, with more than 250 standards currently in publication. Conformance to ASABE standards is voluntary, except where required by state, provincial, or other governmental requirements, and the documents are developed by consensus in accordance with procedures approved by the American National Standards Institute. For information on this or any other ASABE standard, contact Scott Cedarquist at 269-932-7031, cedarq@asabe.org. A current listing of all ASABE standards projects can be found on the ASABE web site at www.asabe.org/projects.
ASABE is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems. Further information on the Society can be obtained by contacting ASABE at (269) 429-0300, emailing hq@asabe.org or visiting www.asabe.org/.
