Sustainability
Metrics
Sustainability Metrics
Progresses in achieving sustainable agriculture production
The Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability (CARS) in the U of A System Div. of Ag. was involved from the very beginning of establishing a national organization, “Field-to-Market – the Alliance of Sustainable Agriculture”. Currently, Dr. Jun Zhu, co-Director of CARS, is elected by the affiliate sector of Field-to-Market to serve on the Board of Directors. Since its inception in 2006, Field-to-Market has grown into a full-fledged organization with over 140 members across the nation. Interested citizens about Field-to-Market can find out more information at fieldtomarket.org.
Major tools and programs developed by Field-to-Market include fieldprint platform, sustainability metrics, national indicators report, and scaling farmers access.
1. Fieldprint Platform
The Fieldprint® Platform is a pioneering assessment framework that empowers brands, retailers, suppliers and farmers at every stage in their sustainability journey, to measure the environmental impacts of commodity crop production and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Farmers can access this free and confidential tool through the online Fieldprint® Calculator or through Associated Farm-Management Software that integrates the Platform’s metrics and algorithms. Brands, retailers, and suppliers can access aggregated data from farmers who opt-in to participate in their Fieldprint® Projects.
2. Sustainability Metrics
This cornerstone of Field to Market’s Program lies in the eight sustainability metrics (biodiversity, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, irrigation water use, land use, soil carbon, soil conservation, and water quality) embedded within the Fieldprint Platform, which was designed to measure environmental outcomes from individual farm fields. The metrics developed or adopted by Field to Market provides science-based tools for farmers to evaluate their production practice in sustainability. The review process, and the process for adopting additional metrics, is described in detail in the Metrics Standard Operating Procedure.
3. National Indicators Report
The major crops in the U.S. include corn, cotton, potatoes, rice, soybeans, and wheat, and a significant acreage of the cropland is occupied for growing these crops. In addition, these crops are often associated with complex supply chains that require innovative approaches to sustainability measurement and data sharing. The National Indicators Report produced by Field-to-Market is a peer-reviewed report that analyzes sustainability trends over time for U.S. agriculture to evaluate the conservation and stewardship efforts of our nation’s commodity farmers, which provides important information to enable informed discussions of priorities at a local level. This analysis also provides baseline information for stakeholders to compare and measure their progresses in achieving sustainability. National Indicators Report | Executive Summary
4. Scaling farmer access
By combining Field-to-Market’s sustainability metrics and algorithms together with precision agriculture, decision support, and farm management software solutions, farmers can simultaneously evaluate productivity, profitability, and sustainability options as part of their planning process. Scaling Farmer Access
For more information, please contact Dr. Jun Zhu at junzhu@uark.edu, 479-575-2883