The mission of the Sustainable Food Lab is to accelerate the shift of sustainable food from niche to mainstream.

We define a sustainable food and agriculture system as one in which the fertility of our soil is maintained and improved; the availability and quality of water are protected and enhanced; our biodiversity is protected; farmers, farm workers, and all other actors in value chains have livable incomes; the food we eat is affordable and promotes our health; sustainable businesses can thrive; and the flow of energy and the discharge of waste, including greenhouse gas emissions, are within the capacity of the earth to absorb forever. 

 NEW!! Climate Webinar Resource links - please find all four presentations from our recent Webinar series here: Carbon Trusts Crop Calculator,  Farmer Focused GHG Calculator,  DAYCENT Model Description - Testing and Application for GHG Emission Inventories, DNDC Model.

Recordings of the Webinars can be found at the following links:

  • Webinar 1 - featuring the DAYCENT and Carbon Trust tools. 
  • Webinar 2 - featuring the DNDC model and Farmer Focused GHG Calculator ("Unilever Tool").
  • Webinar 3 - where we heard from participants and discussed the applicability of these tools to three purposes: The Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops, carbon footprinting, and decision support for farmers.  

The following two thought pieces came out of  the 21st Centrury AgRevolution Conference: 

Agriculture is a key part of the sustainability problem but it can also be part of the solution. “Agricultural producers are not just farmers, they are resource managers,” says George Kelly of Environmental Banc Exchange.  Innovative farmers, in partnership with researchers, agribusiness companies, NGOs, and government agencies, are pioneering ways to reduce harm to the environment, and even restore and regenerate the valuable ‘ecosystem services’ provided by the land. Such eco-friendly practices often provide win-wins, increasing yield and profitability on farm in the long-run.  read more...
 
 
                                               
Margaret Sweitzer-Hamilton, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Princeton University
 
When colleagues ask me what I think the most intriguing recent developments are in sustainable development and I say “partnerships between companies and NGOs,” I get a lot of strange looks. No one expects Unilever and Oxfam to be mentioned in the same sentence, Wal-Mart and World Wildlife Fund would seem to be worlds away. Yet when you ask where the power over the food system lies and then where the expertise about sustainability lies, those same organizations would all rise to the top of the list. Partnerships among them are anything but natural, yet collaboration has arisen from shared goals and shared vision. The results speak for themselves as powerful examples of systemic change. There is much to be learned from these partnerships about why they occur, what makes them successful, and how to approach challenges. Read more.