|
 |
|
|
|||
|
 |
|
Jul. 10, 2024 Source: Field to Market news release WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture has launched updates to the Fieldprint Platform (Version 4.2) as part of an annual science release. The Platform is the industry's most widely recognized sustainability assessment tool for commodity crop production in the United States. The Fieldprint Platform's new features and functionality provide farmers and the agricultural value chain with the ability to analyze sustainability of six pulse crops and an additional tool to measure the risk of nitrogen loss to the environment using the Environmental Defense Fund's Nitrogen Balance (N Balance) Model. Grounded in science and focused on outcomes, the cornerstone of Field to Market's Fieldprint Project Framework lies in the pre-competitive metrics embedded in the sustainability analytics engine offered by the Fieldprint Platform. A pioneering assessment framework empowering brands, retailers, suppliers and farmers at every stage in their sustainability journey, the Fieldprint Platform measures the environmental impacts of commodity crop production against eight sustainability metrics while identifying opportunities for continuous improvement. Farmers can assess environmental performance of management practices through the Fieldprint Platform's online calculator or through associated farm-management software that integrates the Platform's pre-competitive metrics and algorithms. Farmers can also opt-in to participate in member-led Fieldprint Projects, anonymously sharing their data to evaluate performance against peers, while supporting downstream companies in characterizing and advancing the sustainability of their supply chains. New Features Available in Fieldprint Platform 4.2: Pulse Crops: Building on the Fieldprint Platform's existing 12 commodity crops and feed pathways, and thanks to the support of ADM, Version 4.2 adds a suite of six pulse crops: chickpeas (garbanzos), dry beans, dry peas, fava beans, lentils, and lupin. Pulse crops, the dry edible seeds of certain leguminous plants, are crucial to United States agriculture due to their high nutritional value, ability to improve soil health through nitrogen fixation, and role in sustainable crop rotation practices. The addition of pulse crops to the Platform will allow farmers and the supply chain to advance sustainability for these important crops. The Environmental Defense Fund's N Balance Model: This tool is designed to help farmers and agricultural stakeholders optimize nitrogen use. It assesses the balance between nitrogen inputs, such as fertilizers, and outputs, including harvested crops, aiming to minimize nitrogen losses to the environment. By showcasing where changes can provide the most benefits, N Balance helps reduce water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and other environmental impacts associated with excessive nitrogen use, promoting more sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practices. Version 4.2 of the Fieldprint Platform offers Fieldprint Project sponsors the optional ability to generate N Balance Model reporting. "We know that nitrogen, while essential to feeding and clothing the world, can pose a serious threat to soil, water, and human health when application is not well-balanced to crop needs," says Simone Schenkel, Manager, Croplands, at EDF+ Business. "The incorporation of our N Balance Model into the Fieldprint Platform will provide project sponsors with wide reaching connections across the supply chain the ability to measure the risk of nitrogen losses, helping stakeholders cultivate projects that produce sustainable results that help both farmers and the environment." Additional Enhancements: Version 4.2 also includes several Fieldprint Calculator updates supporting both farmers and Fieldprint Project administrators. For farmers, the Calculator now includes the first iteration of the grower dashboard, which provides information such as announcements, alerts, and quick access to resources. The dashboard also includes operation insights to provide a snapshot of data entered in the Calculator. Additional enhancements will be added over time to improve user engagement in the Calculator. For Project Administrators, the Calculator now includes a new enrollment tool that allows for bulk import of farmer information and configuration of enrollment settings. As Field to Market members operationalize commitments to scale climate-smart, sustainable, and regenerative agriculture, the new features and tools embedded in Fieldprint Platform 4.2 will enable the more than 55 member-led projects registered in the Fieldprint Project Directory to advance sustainability efforts within their supply chains. ABOUT FIELD TO MARKET Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture brings together a diverse group of grower organizations; agribusinesses; brands and retail companies; conservation groups; universities and public sector partners to focus on defining, measuring, and advancing the sustainability of food, feed, fiber, and fuel production. Field to Market comprises around 190 members representing all facets of the U.S. agricultural supply chain. For more information, visit www.fieldtomarket.org. Tweet |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
