Frequently Asked Questions

+ WHERE DID THE NEED FOR CASI COME FROM?

The visioning for CASI began in 2017 as an Ontario project designed to explore the concept of a system that will simplify the process of meeting sustainability requirements. The goal was to develop a framework, or platform, that would facilitate communication and reporting across various commodity-specific programs and create a “whole farm” approach based on a common set of practices, allowing for sustainability actions implemented on farms to be recognized throughout the value chain. The Ontario project confirmed the desire and viability for a national approach.

+ WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CASI?

CASI will help reduce the complexity and cost associated with the increasing need for Canadian farmers to demonstrate their sustainability performance amid an increasing number of codes, standards, and verification requirements. Many of these programs have similar measurement and performance criteria, which creates significant overlap and duplication of effort. Through CASI, stakeholders within the farm and food value chain will develop a process of identifying standards from different programs that are equivalent and eliminate duplication.

+ WILL CASI DEVELOP A NEW STANDARD FOR SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING?

No. CASI will not replace existing initiatives or develop new sustainability programs for the sector. Instead, it will build up the strength of existing programs such as the environmental farm plan (EFP) and Growing Your Farm Profits (GYFP), Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef: Beef Production Standard, and the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops Metric Platform. CASI will give Canadian farmers a unique opportunity to demonstrate best practices through a robust and trusted sustainability initiative leveraging Canada’s high standards.

+ HOW IS CASI BEING DEVELOPED?

The CASI platform will be developed through an extensive consultation process that will include 45-60 interviews, a National Workshop or series of smaller workshops, and two pilot projects focusing on horticulture and livestock sector supply chains (specific pilot projects still to be determined). Producers, processors, retailers, food service, non-governmental organizations and consumer groups, will all be engaged throughout the project. For more information on how you can get involved, contact us HERE

+ WHEN WILL THE CASI PORTAL BE LIVE?

CASI will be in place within 2 to 5 years, following more engagement, the completion of the pilot projects, platform testing, and further industry uptake. With continuously evolving market demands for evidence of sustainability practice throughout the value chain, it is important that the CASI platform should be in place as soon as possible.

+ WILL CASI BE MANDATORY?

No, the Canadian Agri-Food Sustainability Initiative will be voluntary in terms of participation, however, given the current trend towards increased demand for sustainability assurances and verification of practices, farmers may be motivated to proactively participate to maintain market access for their given commodity(ies).

+ WHAT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS WILL BE USED TO BENCHMARK THE PROGRAMS USED BY CANADIAN FARMERS?

Benchmarking activities will be focused on the most relevant international standards for Canadian farmers and will include examples such as the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI Platform) tool (the Farm Sustainability Assessment) as well as ISCC, Unilever’s SAC, ISEAL, and others that are relevant to the Canadian agri-food sector.

+ WILL THESE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS COVER ALL CROPS AND LIVESTOCK?

Yes. The goal of CASI is to provide a whole-farm approach to sustainability reporting. Many standards exist for specific sectors. CASI will provide a one-stop-shop for farmers to indicate sustainable on-farm practices which will ultimately be benchmarked with Canadian and international standards. This will reduce the potential duplication of efforts for farms with more than one commodity in production as well as make it easier for farmers to comply with new market standards.

+ HOW WILL CASI WORK WITH NATIONAL COMMODITY GROUPS?

CASI has a governance committee comprised of Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector leaders. The governance committee includes representation from groups such as the Canadian Horticulture Council, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, and many other partners. From 2020-2023, CASI will engage commodity groups and industry associations that represent the true diversity of Canada’s agricultural sector to ensure that the CASI platform meets the needs of all Canadian farmers.

+ WHAT PROCESS IS BEING USED TO MAKE SURE PROVINCIAL STAKEHODERS ARE REGULARLY INFORMED AND CONSULTED REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CASI?

We have identified the importance of ongoing knowledge transfer and communication. The Canadian Agri-Food Sustainability Initiative website will be used as a repository for CASI information as well as updates and news releases. A series of workshops and potentially a national summit are also planned to ensure regional and provincial participation is as accessible as possible. We will also work with the governance structure to create clear lines of communication between the steering committee and provincial organizations.

+ WILL CASI INCLUDE A THIRD-PARTY VALIDATION OF WHAT A FARMER DECLARES USING THE CASI PLATFORM?

In some situations, yes. However, the role of verification and certification for Canadian farmers will be an important part of the development of the Canadian Agri-Food Sustainability Initiative - one of the key principles is to streamline this type of verification for farmers in order to avoid increasing on-farm visits or audits. As much as possible, the focus will be on benchmarking standards and developing synergies with any existing programs the farmer may already be using in order to minimize any additional 3rd party validation. However, in order for the initiative to be meaningful in terms of driving economic, social, and environmental outcomes, as well as building trust along the value chain, some level of validation will be required. This may happen through a variety of self-assessment, 2nd party validation, and 3rd party validation. Again, keeping in mind that the system is intended to reduce the burden on individual farmers and is meant to streamline and find synergies and efficiencies wherever possible.

+ CASI SEEMS TO PRIORITIZE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS. WILL IT BE USEFUL TO FARMERS AND BUYERS ON THE CANADIAN MARKET AND AT THE LOCAL LEVEL?

Absolutely. CASI is meant to be a national platform with provincial and regional applicability. It will be a clearing house for all sustainability programs and requirements.

+ COULD CASI BE USED AS A TOOL TO COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC WHAT FARMERS ARE DOING TO MANAGE THEIR FARMS SUSTAINABLY, FOR EXAMPLE, BY COMMODITY GROUPS?

Absolutely. Metrics and meeting requirements could be valuable for public trust, among other benefits. CASI will help reduce the complexity and cost associated with the increasing need for Canadian farmers to confirm their sustainability performance amid an increasing number of codes, standards, and verification requirements. Many of these programs have similar measurement and performance criteria, which creates significant overlap and duplication of effort.

+ WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Brundtland Commission, 1987

In line with this early definition of sustainability, there is increasing pressure for businesses, including farms and food and beverage producers, to perform against a “triple bottom line.” This concept is based on the three pillars of sustainability – social, environmental and economic.

Also referred to as “people, planet and profit,” farmers and food companies can measure their level of sustainability based on their commitment to people in areas such as, food safety, labour practices, animal welfare, employee engagement and community support. Impact on the planet can be measured in terms of adopting farm environmental programs and practices; waste energy and water management; and sustainable purchasing and supply chain management. Sustainability is also reflected in economic performance and profit. It can be measured in terms of financial planning, environmental accounting, business development and customer satisfaction.

+ WHAT IS A ‘WHOLE FARM APPROACH’ TO SUSTAINABILITY?

A ‘Whole Farm Approach’ to sustainability refers to the practice of managing all aspects of the farm – social, environmental and economic – to ensure that the farm is not only successful from a financial perspective but also contributing to improving local and global sustainability outcomes. These include people practices such as high quality labour standards, community engagement, and the health and well being of livestock. Environmental outcomes, or planet related practices include the efficient management of soil, water, and air quality on the farm that takes into consideration the role of the farm within the broader watershed region. These practices are well known to farmers through the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP). This initiative aims to develop a system that facilitates recognition of the strong practices already in place on many Canadian farms.

When it comes to economics, or profit, farms need to be profitable to stay in business. This requires effective management of the economic aspects of the farm including building marketing plans, cost of production analysis, succession planning, increasing productivity and potentially diversification.

Through the efficient combination of all three pillars of sustainability, farmers in Canada, are poised to be leaders of sustainability within the global agri-food system.

+ WHAT DOES 'EQUIVALENCY OF SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS' MEAN?

As the demand for sustainability grows so does the number of sustainability programs and protocols farmers and food and beverage processors are required to meet. Many of these programs have similar measurement and performance criteria, which creates significant overlap and duplication effort.

Benchmarking allows us to compare different performance standards to each other in order to gain insights into how they stack up to one another. Benchmarking helps us to understand how standards might align on key content or performance measurements, as well as to identify gaps, and avoid duplication of efforts. In the business world, benchmarking is a widely used management tool that can identify and enhance marketing opportunities. Check out this blog post for more.

+ HOW IS SUSTAINABILITY ASSURANCE MONITORED OR VERIFIED?

Sustainability programs often require that participants follow or meet specific criteria that contribute to social, environmental and economic requirements. In many cases, verification is the responsibility of the program administrators. Third-party verification is also an increasing trend. Part of a sustainability program’s strength is confidence in the accuracy of data and reporting. As the amount of sustainability reporting grows, many companies are having their reporting verified by third parties to provide more credibility, transparency and build trust in the information. The approach is very similar to a company having it financial statements audited and approved by a third party.