The
world's first standard for sustainable rice, which sets new and more
efficient standards for rice cultivation, was launched today by the
Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), a global alliance of agricultural
research institutions, agri-food businesses, public sector and civil
society organizations convened by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
The
SRP Standard for Sustainable Rice Cultivation uses environmental and
socio-economic benchmarks to maintain yields for rice smallholders,
reduce the environmental footprint of rice cultivation and meet consumer
needs for food safety and quality. The development of the standard was
led by SRP members, UTZ Certified, Aidenvironment and IRRI, and draws on
global experience in other sustainable commodity initiatives such as
sugarcane, cotton, coffee and palm oil. It is made up of 46 requirements
ranging from productivity, food safety, worker health, labour rights
and biodiversity. It is supplemented by a set of quantitative
Performance Indicators to enable farmers and market supply chain actors
to gauge the sustainability of a rice system, and to monitor and reward
progress.
Rice plays a critical role in global food security and
provides livelihoods for over 140 million smallholders in developing
countries. However, this comes at a price to the environment. Rice
cultivation uses 30-40% of the world's freshwater and contributes 5-10%
of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Inefficient use of farm
inputs such as agrochemicals presents additional challenges to long-term
sustainability. "For most of Asia Pacific, rice is a staple. It is
part of the social fabric and influences many aspects of our lives –
economic, social and religious. The SRP Standard and Indicators will
help ensure that the cultivation of this vital commodity becomes more
sustainable and benefits people, communities and the planet," said
Kaveh Zahedi, UNEP Regional Representative and Regional Director of the
UNEP Regional Office of Asia and the Pacific. Robert Zeigler, Director
General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) which
co-founded the SRP, added: "The SRP Standard represents the world's
first initiative that will set environmentally sustainable and socially
responsible rice production management standards. Our key challenge now
is to incentivize and scale up adoption, especially among resource-poor
small farmers."
The SRP Standard and Indicators will be
field-tested and validated by national government agencies, research
institutes and private companies in a multi-location farm trial to be
coordinated by the SRP and IRRI. Ultimately, the Standard and Indicators
are intended both as a basis for certification of value-added rice
products and also as a benchmark for policymakers.
SRP is a global
multi-stakeholder alliance co-convened by UNEP and IRRI, with 29
institutional stakeholders including public and private sector
stakeholders, research, financial institutions and non-profits. SRP aims
to help rice farmers - whether subsistence or market-focused - produce
more efficiently, enhance their livelihoods, and keep the environment
healthy.