Welcome

Welcome back to the Sustainable Food Lab Newsletter! With strong momentum, and an exciting, yet busy year we are happy to re-establish regular  bi-monthly newsletters for our members and partners! Here are some of the many activities on which Food Lab members have been working so hard throughout the winter and spring of this year.

A GLOBAL NETWORK FOR PARTNERSHIP AND INNOVATION

The Sustainable Food Lab is a consortium of business, non-profit and public organizations working t to incubate innovation at every stage along the supply chain from producing to distributing and selling food.

THE FOOD LAB APPROACH

Given the urgency, complexity, and passion surrounding the challenges of creating a more ecologically sustaiogether to accelerate the shift toward sustainability.  The Sustainable Food Lab facilitates the development of market-based solutions to the key issues – including climate, soil, poverty, and water – that are necessary for a healthy and sustainable food system to feed a growing world. The Sustainable Food Lab uses collaborative learningnable food system that works for farmers, farm workers, consumers, and for businesses throughout the supply chain, we believe it vital to create a safe space for leaders to come together, learn, and be creative about new approaches.   The Sustainable Food Lab’s approach is based on four pillars of activity:

• Leadership Development

• Piloting Innovation

• Access to Experts and Resources

• Insight and Analysis

Northeast Dairy Group Forms

Food Lab members Cabot, Stonyfield, and Ben & Jerry’s anchor an unusually diverse group of non-competing dairy companies, farmer coops and support agencies launching a project to accelerate better sustainability practices while also helping to sustain the Northeast dairy industry. read more

Harnessing the Demand for Fine Cocoa to Increase Incomes & Opportunities of Ghanaian Small Scale Cocoa Farmers

“Ghanaian cacao farmers are some of the best growers in Africa. By bringing superior cacao clones to Ghana, and teaching Ghanaian farmers to grow them, they will increase their income with a sustainable crop, while we will get a reliable supply of excellent cacao. Everybody wins,” says John Scharfenberrer. read more

Exploring Soil Carbon

Never underestimate the power of soil…. The little bits of soil that we collected may seem small, but they’re part of a larger goal of creating an efficient, quantifiable method of measuring soil carbon, incentivizing farmers to improve their soils and help solve the problem of climate change. read more

Metrics in Action

Outcome metrics are useful validation for prescribed best practices, and metrics can help us make decisions about which practice or which practice-based-standard is likely to best serve specific objectives. …..If we were to agree on a common set of meta-issues, such a common compass heading for the whole industry could help bridge differences and provide a platform for continual dialogue and iteration of standards. read more

The movement toward a sustainable food system, even if long and conflicted, is a shared path. None of us invented it. None of us own it. If humanity is to make sufficient progress for our grandchildren to prosper, we need everyone on board. read more

http://www.pulsecanada.com/

http://www.foodalliance.org

New Publication

The Sustainable Food Lab and Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) collaborated on development of A Short Guide to Sustainable Agriculture.

The intention of this booklet is to give an easy understanding of sustainable agriculture and its main issues.  It will be useful particularly for people curious about the business case for sustainable agriculture.  

To order multiple copies of this guide order on line at:  http://www.sustainablefoodlab.org/resources/publications/  or contact Susan Sweitzer:  ssweitzer@sustainablefood.org

Calendar of Events

Agricultural Climate Stewardship Strategy  Meeting  September 8*-10, 2009. Philadelphia, USA 

Shared Metrics in Action, November 10-12, 2009. Boston, USA

New Business Model Team, January 18-22, 2010.  Ghana

Sustainable Food Lab Annual Summit -  membership meeting, March 15-19, 2010.  Costa Rica