Sustainability in Produce and Floral Spotlighted at IFPA Global Show

October 31, 2024

Whether it was a convening of produce and floral leaders held in collaboration with the Consumer Goods Forum Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative, the approval of a formal definition of regenerative agriculture by the International Fresh Produce Association’s Sustainability Council, IFPA’s debut as an observer to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or conversations on topics such as climate and food waste with innovative solutions seen in the Expo, the recent IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show elevated the critically important sustainability work of the fresh fruit, vegetable, and flower supply chain.

“Prior to the show, IFPA and the CGF hosted a forum to discuss alignment of global sustainability standards, where we were joined by retailers, growers, and everyone in between,” said IFPA Vice President of Sustainability Tamara Muruetagoiena. “In the summer, the Forum released environmental benchmarks, and the Global Show presented a perfect opportunity to bring stakeholders together. Later that day, the IFPA Sustainability Council approved our definition of regenerative agriculture to provide clarity and direction to our global community.”

IFPA defines regenerative agriculture as “a holistic farming approach that aims to restore and enhance the natural resilience of agroecosystems while supporting the long-term health and viability of agricultural businesses and communities. The foundation of this farming system is the integrated management of soil health, biodiversity, water resources, human health, and climate.”

“I am immensely proud of the work of the working group that brought this definition forward, after many discussions, expert presentations, and analysis of global definitions,” she shared, “Now that the definition has been approved, we will continue to define outcomes of this type of agriculture.”

During the annual State of the Industry keynote, IFPA CEO Cathy Burns announced that the organization has just been granted observer status in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and spoke about the very real danger rising global temperatures will have on the produce and floral community. For example, if agricultural innovation fails to keep pace with climate change over the next 30 years, there is a 50% chance of a ‘major’ global food shock.

IFPA research has found that failure to act on climate and extreme weather are the top 2 global threats with the highest potential to damage societies, economies, and the planet. The climate-resilient future study noted that a global mean temperature rise in the range of 1.5 to 4.5°C by the end of the century would agriculture far beyond manageable thresholds.

To help its members contend with climate challenges, the fourth cohort of the IFPA Fresh Field Catalyst Technology Accelerator was focused on climate-smart solutions for fresh produce and floral this year and was highlighted during the show’s expo and program.

On the heels of the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show, in early December, the association will hold a climate-smart field trials in California as part of its USDA grant-funded program titled “A Vibrant Future,” which incentivizes specialty crop growers to adopt climate-smart production to establish a consumer-driven, climate-smart market for fruits and vegetables grown using climate-smart practices.

Sustainability in Produce and Floral Spotlighted at IFPA Global Show

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