PFI has observed benefits from diverse rotations with small grains, including GHG reductions, roots in the ground year-round and yield improvements, from farmers like Tom Frantzen pictured above We are entering our fourth year of working with and collecting data from Midwest farmers to document the benefits of diverse rotations – and the on-farm data…
By Stephanie Daniels The concept of living income of farmers allows us to consider if the combined effect of various farming practices, voluntary sustainability standards, productivity investments and premiums prices all add up to the conditions under which farmers can afford a decent standard of living. It can facilitate the dialogue regarding the smart mix…
In collaboration with the Organic Trade Association, the Organic Grain Collaboration has co-authored a new report, titled “U.S. Organic Grain – How to Keep It Growing“. The report includes information on organic grain production, market trends and the barriers to expanding domestic organic grain production as well as industry solutions to overcome these barriers. A press…
In collaboration with partners Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS) and Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Environment (SAFE), we are happy to share a new report, Investing in Youth in Coffee Growing Communities, a review of current programs and practices in Latin America. “If coffee is to be sustained as a crop that delivers well-being to communities in…
The demand for organic grains is growing. Aroostook County, Maine is a region that could help to meet this gap in supply, but organic grain farming as a standalone business is not profitable in Aroostook County, at the scale that most grain farms currently operate at. Mixing other, more profitable crops into a rotation with…
Organic grain supply is an identified bottleneck for value-added processes. Growth in grain production lags other organic commodities and remains a negligible amount of total U.S. cropland. An informal group of companies commissioned the Sustainable Food Lab to give them thorough background on barriers and challenges to organic grain production before acting to address the…
Food and beverage companies are facing a rapidly changing world. Consumers everywhere are growing more knowledgeable and concerned about the ethics of where and how their food and drink are produced. At the same time, development organizations are increasingly seeing the critical role of the private sector in creating sustainable economic opportunities for small…
Under What Conditions Are Value Chains Effective Tools for Pro Poor Development? Understanding the benefits, costs, and risks when connecting small scale producers to formal markets is critical to supporting informed decision making by companies, farmers, NGOs, and donors about investing in supply chain opportunities. Key questions include: Who are the rural poor? Under what…