A long awaited national standard for sustainable agricultural is growing closer to realization. Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), an independent certifier in California, is developing the National Sustainable Agriculture Practice Standard. SCS has agreed to relinquish copyright ownership for any advancements in the standard to a charitable nonprofit and that any standard be made public.

According to a draft version of the standard, the document would go beyond organic practices to "establish a comprehensive framework and common set of environmental, social, and quality requirements by which to demonstrate that an agricultural product has been produced and handled in a sustainable manner, from soil preparation and seed planting through production, harvest, post-harvest handling, and distribution for sale."

The standard would encompass:

Environmental Sustainability
- Sustainable Crop Production
- Resource Conservation & Energy Efficiency
- Ecosystem Protection
- Integrated Waste Management
Social & Economic Sustainability
- Fair Labor Practices
- Community Benefits
Product Integrity
- Product Quality
- Product Safety and Purity

Working with SCS to foster the standard-setting process is the Leonardo Academy, an ANSI-accredited standards development organization, which has begun a campaign with annual goals of raising $400,000 to $500,000 to advance the standard. The certifier made clear its goals in a memorandum co-signed with the Leonardo Academy to transfer any ensuing copyright to a nonprofit.

Agricultural sustainability efforts have experienced difficulty from competing viewpoints between large scale agricultural producers and organizations influenced by the sustainable and organic movements. Now under increasing market pressure to compete with an evolving global marketplace, U.S. producers are feeling a push towards sustainable practices, and standards and metrics are necessary supplements when achieving these goals.

SCS filed a Draft Standard for Sustainable Agriculture Practices with ANSI in 2007 and worked with the Leonardo Academy to develop a framework to encourage a dialogue centered on agricultural sustainability to occur. Last September, their goal was realized by 58 voting members of the Standards Committee for the Sustainable Agriculture Practice Standards convening, representing a vast array of agricultural interests.

The Wisconsin-based Leonardo Academy expects the process to result in new tools by 2012. Committee members have already pledged over a million dollars of in-kind support, and the nonprofit is working to raise $1.17 million to fund travel, meeting and administrative costs.

Some committee participants remain skeptical of the possibility of a standard, while others feel that significant headway has been made. However, the consensus, according to a recently released funding synopsis, is that "the current dialogue on sustainable agriculture in the U.S. is critical."

The members also made clear a personal investment in standards to govern the sustainable goals. These standards include the Biofuels Sustainability Standard and the IPM Options Evaluation Tool. The IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Tool project, for example, will be available online to evaluate pesticides according to relative environmental and health risks.

The Leonardo Academy is currently working to raise immediate funds primarily for several members who would otherwise not be able to attend the next standards committee meeting late this month.