A Maori proverb says 'whatungarongaro te tangata toitu te whenua'. Roughly translated this means 'As man disappears from sight, the land remains'. For a country like New Zealand built on agriculture and characterised by a symbiotic relationship with the land, ensuring sustainable practices and policies around agro-processing is as much a policy directive as it is part of the culture.
Food production uses nearly 80 per cent of all water worldwide, and despite the rising movement towards organic farming, still uses increasing quantities of chemicals which can jeopardise biodiversity. When one adds that despite these environmentally costly inputs, 30 per cent of all food produced ends up either lost or wasted, there is a need to better balance demand, supply and sustainability.
By 2040, Earth's population will swell to over 9 billion with much higher demand on global food systems. This means ensuring sustainable production to safely meet these growing food needs must become a global policy directive. To ensure sustainable production there must be effective sustainability standards and certifications.
These standards are important markers for farmers, producers and consumers as they strive for that balance between competitiveness and quality. Making the grade for sustainability allows producers to conserve resources, protect health and the environment andalso attract increasingly environmentally-aware consumers.
World leaders have endorsed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of which focuses on responsible consumption and production.
