Sustainable Agriculture: Building Global Networks for a Better Future

Summary

In this episode of *Future Foodcast*, Pam Lin Miller interviews Jose Compos, CEO of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), exploring how SAN is working to transform agriculture into a sustainable and equitable sector. Through radical collaboration across regions and industries, SAN tackles global agricultural challenges. Key programs like Terra Viva, Co-Ambition, and Eco Oasis drive innovation in landscape management, corporate sustainability, and nature-based solutions. With regional hubs and a new U.S.-based nonprofit, *Friends of Sustainable Agriculture*, SAN engages communities and donors to support its mission. This episode highlights SAN’s impact and encourages listeners to get involved.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) is a global impact network focused on transforming agriculture to make it sustainable and equitable.
• 😀 SAN connects organizations across four continents (Asia, Africa, Latin America, the US, and Europe) to collaborate on sustainable agricultural practices.
• 😀 Collaboration is essential to SAN's mission, with a focus on 'radical collaboration' to address the massive challenges in agriculture.
• 😀 SAN's work requires a network mindset, as no single organization can solve the large-scale issues in agriculture alone.
• 😀 One of SAN's main challenges is creating the right structures for collaboration across organizations, governments, suppliers, and farmers.
• 😀 A key initiative by SAN is 'Terra Viva,' which promotes landscape management and strengthening governance structures at a territorial level.
• 😀 Terra Viva helps local stakeholders develop common goals and measure sustainability outcomes in their regions using community-based monitoring systems.
• 😀 SAN's new strategic plan (2025-2030) focuses on increasing regional hubs to improve collaboration at a more localized level.
• 😀 The organization also works with companies, like Nestlé, through the 'Co-Ambition' program, to help them meet sustainability targets.
• 😀 SAN implements nature-based solutions through the 'Eco Oasis' program, focusing on enhancing biodiversity in agriculture, such as through biological pest control in oil palm plantations.
• 😀 SAN has established a nonprofit in the US, 'Friends of Sustainable Agriculture,' to support its mission and enable donations for sustainability initiatives in agriculture.

Q & A

What is the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) and its primary mission?

The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) is a global network of organizations working together to transform agriculture to make it more sustainable and equitable. Its mission is to promote sustainable agricultural practices through collaboration among organizations across multiple continents.

What does SAN mean by 'radical collaboration'?

SAN emphasizes 'radical collaboration,' which means going beyond traditional collaboration to address the global and local challenges in agriculture. It involves not just working together, but doing so with a high level of commitment, energy, and strategy to achieve meaningful impact.

How does SAN approach the challenge of transforming agriculture?

SAN works on transforming agriculture by fostering collaboration between various stakeholders, including farmers, suppliers, corporate sectors, governments, and NGOs. They design frameworks and governance structures to address sustainability and work at different scales, from the farm level to larger territorial levels.

What are some of the challenges SAN is addressing in the agricultural sector?

SAN is addressing several key challenges, including the need for technical expertise, building collaboration structures, managing local and global contexts, and ensuring sustainable practices are followed. They also focus on landscape management and the governance structures needed to address issues like market access and sustainability outcomes.

Can you explain the 'Terra Viva' program?

The 'Terra Viva' program focuses on landscape management and strengthening governance structures at the territorial level. It was piloted in Colombia and aims to build local organizations that can create shared goals, monitor sustainability outcomes, and engage with markets and supply chains effectively.

What is the importance of data in SAN's efforts, and how do they use it?

Data is critical for SAN’s approach because it empowers local stakeholders to measure and track sustainability outcomes. For example, in the coffee industry, local farmers can use data to demonstrate that their products, like organic coffee, meet sustainability standards, enabling them to approach markets and suppliers with verifiable proof of their practices.

What are the key components of SAN’s new strategic plan for 2025-2030?

SAN's new strategic plan, developed after extensive discussions with members and experts, focuses on creating regional hubs to address specific local challenges, strengthening collaboration, and developing a clearer strategy to transform agriculture. It also emphasizes scaling up their impact through strategic partnerships and focusing on both global goals and local solutions.

How does SAN plan to establish regional hubs, and why is it important?

SAN plans to establish regional hubs to enable better collaboration among local members in specific regions like Southeast Asia, the Amazon, and East Africa. This approach is important because different regions face unique agricultural challenges, and regional hubs can cater to these specific needs, fostering stronger, more relevant partnerships and solutions.

What is SAN’s 'Co-Ambition' program, and how does it support the corporate sector?

The 'Co-Ambition' program supports the corporate sector by co-designing sustainability programs with companies that have sustainability targets. SAN works with companies like Nestlé to help them meet their goals, collaborating with them on strategies that align with both business needs and sustainability objectives.

What is the 'Eco Oasis' program, and how does it promote nature-based solutions in agriculture?

The 'Eco Oasis' program helps organizations implement nature-based solutions in agriculture. It focuses on restoring biodiversity within agricultural systems, like using natural pest control methods and improving pollination, to enhance the sustainability of crops. For example, SAN worked with Ferrero to improve oil palm farming in Malaysia by integrating natural pest control into the system.

What role does the 'Friends of Sustainable Agriculture' nonprofit play in SAN’s mission?

The 'Friends of Sustainable Agriculture' nonprofit, established in the U.S., supports SAN's mission by engaging individual donors and foundations. It helps raise funds to support SAN’s projects and initiatives. Additionally, it offers opportunities for donors to visit regions like Costa Rica and engage directly with local farmers involved in sustainable agriculture.