Sunday, December 20, 2009

Growing Interest in Sustainable Agriculture Standard- Deadline for Standards Committee Applications Extended to May 23, 2008

Since September 2007, Leonardo Academy has been announcement acquaintance of the development action of the Draft American National Standard for Trail Use for Sustainable Agriculture Practice, advised for consecutive approval as an American National Standard. National affairs accept been captivated in Berkeley, California and Arlington, Virginia, in accession to three civic teleconferences, to acquaint absorbed parties and stakeholders about this accepted development process. Due to accretion absorption in the development of this accepted afterward the February 29, 2008 affair in Arlington, Leonardo Academy has absitively to extend the borderline for applications for the accepted development board to May 23, 2008. This addendum has been implemented based on abundant requests to acquiesce time for added stakeholders to abide applications to participate on the accepted development board and/or acknowledging subcommittees.

Madison, WI -- Since September 2007, Leonardo Academy has been announcement acquaintance of the development action of the Draft American National Standard for Trail Use for Sustainable Agriculture Practice, advised for consecutive approval as an American National Standard. National affairs accept been captivated in Berkeley, California and Arlington, Virginia, in accession to three civic teleconferences, to acquaint absorbed parties and stakeholders about this accepted development process. Due to accretion absorption in the development of this accepted afterward the February 29, 2008 affair in Arlington, Leonardo Academy has absitively to extend the borderline for applications for the accepted development board to May 23, 2008. This addendum has been implemented based on abundant requests to acquiesce time for added stakeholders to abide applications to participate on the accepted development board and/or acknowledging subcommittees.

Purpose of Developing a Standard for Sustainable Agriculture Practice
The Sustainable Agriculture Practice Standard is accepting developed in acknowledgment to ascent absorption in practicing, defining, standardizing, and certifying acceptable agriculture. Establishing a civic accepted for acceptable agronomics practices has the befalling to serve abounding purposes, including:
 

    tDefining sustainability practices and indicators throughout the accumulation alternation on a life-cycle base tDistinguishing best practices in crop assembly and administration tGuiding producers and handlers through stages of incremental advance tProviding a accepted set of metrics to barometer sustainability progress---whether in a clandestine accumulation chain, an industry sector, or on a state/regional/national calibration tSetting a advertence archetype for clandestine sustainability effortsAll absorbed stakeholders accept a role to play in abstraction the final standard, alive aural the accessible accord process. Within this setting, the accepted can be developed and added for the accessible good.

    The Draft American Standard for Trial Use: Sustainable Agriculture Practice for Food Fiber and Biofuel Crop Producers and Agricultural Product Handlers and Processors (SCS-001):
    This abstract accepted for balloon use was appear in the bounce of 2007. Within the ANSI process, a abstract accepted for balloon use represents a beginning, not an end. It serves as a starting point from which stakeholder discussions can appear and is advised to activate chat on key issues, such as the assorted interpretations of sustainability as it applies to agriculture, which have to be addressed in adjustment to authorize a accomplished American National Standard for Sustainable Agriculture Practice.

    The Standards Committee can change any basic of the abstract accepted in the action to authorize a final abstract standard, which will be accountable to accessible analysis and animadversion by added materially afflicted parties. The Standards Committee will adjudge how to ascertain acceptable agronomics practices aural the ambit of this standard, as able-bodied as

    how to abode both the accepted and sector-specific needs of assorted agronomical crop sectors. Ultimately, the Standards Committee will adjudge what is in the final accepted that will be submitted for approval as an American National Standard. For this reason, all absorbed parties and stakeholders are arrive to participate in the development action of this accepted by confined on the Standards Committee or a non-voting advising subcommittee.

    Call for Standards Committee Applications
    All parties and stakeholders absorbed in the accepted development action are arrive to administer to participate on the Standards Committee or one of the advising subcommittees. Applications will be advised in abounding in adjustment to accomplish a counterbalanced burning of abilities and ability on the Standards Committee. The board appliance anatomy can be begin on the Leonardo Academy website at http://www.leonardoacademy.org/Projects/SustainAgStdDevelopment.htm.

    Applications for accord should be submitted by or afore Friday, May 23, 2008. All applicants will be abreast of their board cachet on Monday, June 16, 2008.

    More about the Draft Standard
    Interest in standardizing acceptable agronomics has developed badly about the apple in the accomplished decade. This accretion absorption has been fueled by a ambit of analytical ecology and amusing concerns, such as all-around warming, baptize shortages, breed extinction, alarming alive conditions, arbitrary activity practices, and apathy for bounded communities. In response, dozens of sustainability initiatives and programs accept emerged. This civic acclimation action has been launched to accommodate a appointment for discussing and vetting differences over what sustainability agency aural the agronomical area and to abduction the aggregate acumen of individuals and organizations that accept been arch the way in defining and establishing acceptable practices. More advice about the acclimation initiative, including abstracts and presentations from the stakeholder affair captivated October 29-30, 2007 and February 29, 2008, as able-bodied as a archetype of the abstract accepted for balloon use, can be downloaded from the Leonardo website at http://www.leonardoacademy.org/Projects/SustainAgStdDevelopment.htm.

    Funding
    Leonardo Academy is gluttonous banking abetment from foundations, companies and organizations with an absorption in sustainability issues to aid in the development of this standard, to accommodate baby farmers with banking and abstruse abetment in testing the Sustainable Agriculture Draft Standard for Trial Use and to accommodate banking abetment to non-profits to awning the costs of their participation. If you are absorbed in altruistic banking assets to abutment this project, amuse acquaintance the Leonardo Academy.

    About The Leonardo Academy
    Leonardo Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit alignment founded in 1997 with a eyes of advancing sustainability and putting the aggressive bazaar to plan on convalescent the environment.

    For Additional Information
    Please appointment the Sustainable Agriculture Practice Draft Standard for Trial Use web page: http://www.leonardoacademy.org/Projects/SustainAgStdDevelopment.htm.

    Contact Leonardo Academy:
    Tel: (608) 280-0255
    Email: Development-SCS-1 @ leonardoacademy.org

No comments:

Post a Comment