Marty Matlock, PhD, PE, BCEEExecutive Director, Office for SustainabilityProfessor , Biological and Agricultural Engineering DepartmentUniversity of Arkansas

Science Based Metrics for Sustainable

Outcomes In Agriculture2014 NIAA Annual Conference & NIAA/USAHA Joint Forum on Trichomoniasis Standards

Everything is Connected

2

Everything is changing

3

A.D.2000

A.D.1000

A.D.1

1000B.C.

2000B.C.

3000B.C.

4000B.C.

5000B.C.

6000B.C.

7000B.C.

1+ million years

8

7

6

5

2

1

4

3

OldStoneAge

9

10

11

12

A.D.3000

A.D.4000

A.D.5000

1900

1950

1975

2000

2100

Future

Bill

ions

Source: Population Reference Bureau; and United Nations, World Population Projections to 2100 (1998).

World Population Growth In Context

Time of our Parents and Grandparents

2010

Era of Monarchs

Era of Democracy

?

Time of our Children and Grandchildren

4

Sustainability 2050: The Challenge

5

Sustainability 2050: The Challenge

6

Sustainability 2050: The Challenge

7

Sustainability 2050: The Challenge

What we do in the next 10 years will shape Earth and Humanity for the next 100 years

When technology and culture collidetechnology prevails, culture changes

8

Billions

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050

Less Developed Regions

More Developed Regions

Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision (medium scenario), 2005.

We are all in this together

9

Elements of Sustainable Agriculture

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PEOPLE PROFIT

PLANET

SUSTAINABLE

BEARABLE

EQUITABLE

VIABLE

Human Activities Dominate Earth

Croplands and pastures are the largest terrestrial biome, occupying over 40% of Earth’s land surface

11

Persistent vs Important Issues

Persistent Issues Important IssuesLocally grown Water use efficiencyGMO crops Soil erosionOrganic crops Soil organic carbonNatural Land use change –

biodiversity loss

From Jason Clay, WWF

Meeting Food Needs by 2050

Jason Clay

The role of research

13

Key Sustainability Challenges for Agriculture

1. In order to meet projected demands for food, feed, fiber and fuel from the land we must increase production (output per year) by 50 to 100 percent in the next four decades.

2. If global production is not increased, US and European production must compensate by increasing even more.

3. If we want to preserve biodiversity and other land-based ecosystem services we must freeze the footprint of agriculture.

4. Thus yield (output per area) must more than double in the next 40 years in the US and Europe.

5. Energy scarcity will drive innovation while limiting expansion of productivity.

6. Water scarcity will limit productivity globally.

The Food Supply ChainProduction Processing

Distribution

RetailDirect Mktg Wholesale

Consumption

SafetySecurityStability

15

Sustainability Initiatives

16

The Issue is TRUST

1. Consumer attitudes2. Social License – freedom to operate3. Criteria for legitimacy4. Market competitiveness

5.Reputational Risks!

(Re)Building Trust in the Food System

Sustainability is Continuous Improvement

21

1. DefineA. Define Sustainability for the EnterpriseB. Define Key Performance IndicatorsC. Select Metrics for KPIs

2. MeasureA. Benchmark KPI MetricsB. Set Goals for Each KPIC. Develop Strategy to Meet Goals

3. ImplementA. Implement the StrategyB. Measure, Assess and Report ResultsC. Adapt Strategy to Improve Outcomes

 

 

 

How We Define Sustainable Agriculture

Breadth of Goal

Vision

Management

Aspirational

Strategic

Operational

Tactical

Pla

nnin

g H

oriz

on

Long

Short

Framework of Goals

Criteria for Key Performance Indicators of Sustainable Agriculture

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are things we measure to inform decisions.KPIs should be:1.Outcomes Based.2.Science Driven.3.Technology Neutral.4.Transparent.

Environmental Key Performance Indicators for Agriculture

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• Greenhouse Gas Emissions• Energy Use• Water Use• Land Use• Water Quality• Nutrient Use Efficiency• Habitat/Biodiversity

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KPIs: Sentinels for Threats

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KPIs: Sentinels for Threats

Human Water Security Threat Index

28Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity. C.J. Vorosmarty, P.B. McIntyre, M.O. Gessner, D. Dudgeon, A. Prusevich, P. Green, S. Glidden, S.E. Bunn, C.A. Sullivan, C. Reidy Liermann, and P.M. Davies. Nature 467, 555-561 (30 September 2010) doi:10.1038/nature09440

http://riverthreat.net/

Persistent vs Important Issues

Persistent Issues Important IssuesLocally grown Water use efficiencyGMO crops Soil erosionOrganic crops Soil organic carbonNatural Land use change –

biodiversity loss

From Jason Clay, WWF

30

Livestock GHG emissions are estimated at 7.1 gigatonnes CO2e per year.

This is 14.5 percent of human-induced GHG emissions.

31

Potential GHG emissions reductions from nutrition, manure, and husbandry practices.

Increasing forage digestibility and digestible forage intake will generally reduce GHG emissionsfrom rumen fermentation and stored manure.

Dietary lipids are effective in reducing enteric CH4 emissions.

Supplementation with small amounts of concentrate feed to increase animal productivity

Global emissions by sector

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Field to MarketThe Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture

Field to Market Membership

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Measuring US Soybean Sustainability Metrics

35

US Ag Sustainability Initiatives

ISO Standard for LCA

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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 14044First edition 2006-07-01

Environmental management — Life cycle assessment: Requirements and guidelines Reference number:ISO 14044:2006(E)

ISO 14044 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, Subcommittee SC 5, Life cycle assessment.This first edition of ISO 14044, together with ISO 14040:2006, cancels and replaces ISO 14040:1997, ISO 14041:1998, ISO 14042:2000 and ISO 14043:2000, which have been technically revised.

Phases of a Life Cycle Assessment

Interpretation

Goal and Scope Definition

Direct Applications:•Process Improvement•Product Assessment•Policy Analysis•Strategic Planning•Risk Management

Inventory Analysis

Impact Assessment

Life Cycle Assessment Framework

ISO Standard for LCA

39

The International Organization for Standards (ISO) is a network of the national standards institutes of 162 countries, one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system.

ISO is a non-governmental organization that forms a bridge between the public and private sectors. On the one hand, many of its member institutes are part of the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by their government. On the other hand, other members have their roots uniquely in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of industry associations.

http://www.iso.org/

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to Understand and Manage Supply Chain Processes

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LCA allows for impact assessment from cradle to grave

Raw Material

A

Raw Material

B

Product 1

41

LCA allows for impact assessment from cradle to grave

Raw Material

A

Raw Material

B

Product 1

Boundaries matter42

Life Cycle Assessment Allocation

43

By Mass?

= +

+

+

By Value?Kg CO2e per kg

Benchmark KPIs for GHG

• National Life Cycle Carbon Footprint Study for the Production of US Swine– Carbon Footprint – 2.48 lb CO2e per serving– Emission Contributions

• Sow Barn: 9.6%, including feed and manure handling• Nursery to Finish: 52.5%, including feed and manure handling• Processing and Packaging: 6.9%• Retail: 7.54%• Consumer: 23.5%

Benchmark KPIs for GHG

• Life Cycle Analysis of Alternative Pork Management Practice– Anesthesia during castration or tail docking– Immuno-Castration Methods– Removal of Ractopamine as a feed additive– Removal of Antimicrobials to prevent disease and

promote growth– Pen Gestation Housing

Benchmark KPIs for GHG

Benchmark KPIs for GHG

Benchmark KPIs for Water

• A Life Cycle Analysis of Water Use in U.S. Pork Production– 19-144 gal water per pound boneless pork– 75% from feed irrigation– 20% for drinking water

Benchmark KPIs for Water

Benchmark KPIs for Water

Benchmark KPIs for Water

Benchmark KPIs for Water

Sustainability Framework

53

1. DefineA. Define Sustainability for the EnterpriseB. Define Key Performance IndicatorsC. Select Metrics for KPIs

2. MeasureA. Benchmark KPI MetricsB. Set Goals for Each KPIC. Develop Strategy to Meet Goals

3. ImplementA. Implement the StrategyB. Measure, Assess and Report ResultsC. Adapt Strategy to Improve Outcomes

 

 

 

Breadth of Goal

Vision

Management

Aspirational

Strategic

Operational

Tactical

Pla

nnin

g H

oriz

on

Long

Short

Framework of Goals