MADISON, Wis. – Leonardo Academy Inc, The Sustainability Experts®, announced today that the ANSI/LEO-4000, the new American National Standard for Sustainable Agriculture is open for business. The Standard, approved by the American National Standards Institute this past November, provides a framework for producers of food and fiber products to decisively advance sustainability in the agriculture industry. As a benchmarking Standard, it operates as a mechanism to implement and compare sustainability achievements across all users, and recognizes levels of sustainability performance in terms of environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic stability. Certified products communicate up and down the supply chain by satisfying buyer specifications and increasing value to consumers.
While producers register for ANSI/LEO-4000 certification, the Standard requires participation of the entire agriculture supply chain. Leonardo Academy developed a set of tools and resources (see the Price Table) to help producers assess their farm relative to the Standard, streamline the certification process, and guide participation by processors, manufacturers, retailers and investors.
For those seeking general information about ANSI/LEO-4000, a paper copy of the Standard or electronic access to the Standard and/or Reference Guide can be purchased through the Leonardo Academy website.
For producers considering pursuing certification, the Checklist is an online tool for conducting a do-it-yourself assessment. It provides a framework to evaluate the achievements and potential achievements of farm/production unit relative to the Standard.
Producers planning to pursue certification should acquire the Producer Registration Package, a bundle consisting of the online Standard and Reference Guide, the combined Checklist and Producer Sustainability Plan (PSP), and an online question and answering service. For access to the Checklist or Producer Registration Package, contact Leonardo Academy.
“We are very excited to not only provide a new, comprehensive sustainable agriculture standard, but also the tools for putting it to use,” said Michael Arny, Leonardo Academy President. “This can be a big step forward for the agriculture industry.”
Source: Leonardo Academy
