Key Elements: Draft National Standard for Trial Use, Sustainable Agriculture (SCS-001)
Download the Standard here (PDF, 127 pages).
Element 1. Sustainable Crop Production
The Standard identifies crop production practices that: 1) build and maintain a healthy agroecosystem, based on healthy soil structure and functioning; 2) preferentially employ biological, mechanical, and cultural methods to control pest and disease vectors; 3) minimize agrochemical inputs, favoring the use of reduced risk or US National Organic Program (NOP) permitted agrochemical options; and 4) phase-out those agrochemical inputs that pose significant acute and chronic risks to human health or ecotoxic risks to the environment.
Element 2. Ecosystem Management and Protection
The Standard identifies practices that protect the surrounding ecology including but not limited to waterways, riparian and wetlands habitats, high ecological value habitats and species, and other biologically and culturally significant areas.
Element 3. Resource Conservation and Energy Efficiency
The Standard recognizes practices aimed at increasing water efficiency, energy efficiency and resource efficiency in all stages of growing, packaging, transporting and handling of crops. Moreover, the Standard addresses the issue of global climate change related to agricultural products by accounting for greenhouse gas emissions throughout the product life cycle (from seed to store) from all direct and indirect sources, and establishing specific greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Element 4. Integrated Waste Management
The Standard identifies comprehensive waste management practices, including composting, recycling, and proper waste disposal for agricultural, non-agricultural, and hazardous wastes.
Element 5. Fair Labor Practices
The Standard defines practices that ensure a safe and equitable workplace for agricultural workers, addressing such issues as equitable hiring and employment practices, safe workplace conditions, workers' right to organize, worker housing, child labor, access to health, education, and transportation services.
Element 6. Community Benefits
The Standard identifies producer practices that support local communities through preferential purchasing, hiring, and improvements or development, as well as addressing impacts caused by agricultural operations.
Element 7. Product Quality
The Standard recognizes practices designed to ensure product quality throughout the chain-of-custody and establishes quality assurance and traceability requirements designed to ensure that sustainably grown products are properly handled throughout the chain-of-custody and can be traced back to their source.
Element 8. Product Safety and Purity
The Standard identifies minimum acceptable food safety practices and food purity requirements for edible crops.