Alberta EFP+ Program meets International Sustainability Standards

The Alberta Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) is encouraging agricultural producers to adopt beneficial management practices that will improve performance and sustainability through their EFP+ program.

The EFP+ program is an upgraded version of the EFP workbook. It offers producers an official equivalency score with the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform. Large corporations, like Coca-Cola, Heineken, Hershey, and Ocean Spray, rely on the SAI Platform to benchmark their sustainably sourced products. With the new EFP+ program, Alberta producers now have a method to meet these sustainability requirements.

The EFP+ program provides producers with an official equivalency score with SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA). The SAI Platform was created by the food industry and by working with the platform its members develop, maintain, and improve the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA). Members of the SAI Platform are stakeholders from the food and drink industry, including farmer cooperatives, manufacturers, processors, and traders from across the globe.

The Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) is what is used to evaluate on-farm sustainability performance, support sustainable supply chains, benchmark existing standards, codes and legislation, spur farming improvements, and strive for excellence in sustainability.

The Alberta EFP+ is aligned to the FSA Gold Level, takes into account Canadian federal legislation, and is benchmarked as FSA-aligned for verification. Once the EFP+ process is complete, in some cases taking less than an hour, Alberta producers and their Farm Management Groups can make international sustainability claims that are equivalent to the FSA standard.

The EFP+ program is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan is hosting a webinar to share how an EFP+ can help producers on their journey to sustainable agriculture excellence. You can register to participate in this webinar, by visiting their website at www.albertaefp.com/event-calendar/efp-webinar-149/