STERN PRODUCE : DEVELOPING SUSTAINABILITY METRICS FOR “ARIZONA FRESH TOGETHER” LOCAL FOOD PROGRAM MSUS APPLIED PROJECT SALOMI PRADHAN PROJECT PARTNER – KRISTEN OSGOOD INTRODUCTION • Stern Produce Co. :A family owned food distribution business in Phoenix since 1917 • Committed to building partnerships with local farms in Arizona to meet the wholesale demand for Arizona grown food. • Embraced the responsibility to conduct business in a manner that invests in community wellness, fosters societal resilience and environmental health. • ARIZONA FRESH TOGETHER (AFT) : Revolutionize Arizona with local food supply chain partnerships AFT : GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Preserve our valuable farmlands, unique biodiversity and celebrate it Stimulate our local food economy ARIZONA FRESH TOGETHER Support local and often family run smaller farms in AZ Help Stern Produce, as a company, to gain first mover advantage. Help protect our health as well as the health of our communities AFT METRICS AND INDICATORS Food Safety & Food Nutrition • Farm Certification • Crop diversity Ecosystem/ Biodiversity Stability • Sustainable farming practices • Crop Food • Water usability • Pest Control • C02 emissions • GMO/Non GMO • Pest control • Food storage/processing • Food taste and enjoyment methods • Soil health Economic Resilience/ Stability Socio-cultural Well being • Food affordability • Human health & safety • Creation of local job • Quality of life/wellbeing opportunities • Creation of secondary economic opportunities • Stern local revenue indicators/profitability margins in local food distribution • Equity, Justice • Biological and cultural diversity • Resiliency in the system • Happiness WHAT I DID … Environmental Researched and collected data of potential GHG emissions to compare the environmental implications of local VS conventional food sourcing. Economic Social • Relied on survey questionnaires and informal interviews with local Arizonian farmers Human Health • Extensive literature review and stakeholder engagement ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS CO2 emissions released in conventional sourcing of food produce from out of state of AZ CO2 emissions released in local sourcing of food produce from within the state of AZ CONTINUED… • Farms are certified either Organic, GHP (Good Handling Practices) / GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certified or Naturally Grown. • Strictly no use of any synthetic chemical inputs (e.g. fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives) • None of the farms use genetically modified seeds • Use of sustainable farming practices like eliminating tillage, cover cropping, crop rotation, drip irrigation etc. • No chemical sprays for pest control • Water conservation strategies • Lesser environmental pollution • Greater accountability ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS • • • • Stern’s Direct dollar value spent to the local providers/economy from 01/01/17 to 11/06/17 is appx 1.3 million Local farms projected a local sales revenue growth from in between 5% to 15% in the past 3-4 years The farmers that I interviewed employ an average of 30 to 50 people in their business in the peak season. (production side) Currently, it is out of the farmers’ budget and capacity to track how much are they contributing to the local economy of AZ. Stern’s sales data for local vs conventional food distribution for 1-1-17 to 11-6-17 No of Cases Sold 79182, 12% Conventional Farms Sales Local Farms Sales 572434, 88% SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS • Local farms GHP/GAP certified • Safety protocols priority, regular inspections and audits, rigorous employee trainings, instant reporting and feedback assessments • Workers wages above the state’s average wage rate (community healthcare, community housing) • Impressive biological and cultural diversity ratio. On average, every farm employed 30% women and 50% native Navajos and Latino workers • Strong community cohesion • Vulnerable and less resilient to shock strategies in case of natural calamities (hurricanes, floods, droughts), market crashes, social upheavals • Happiness is the key! CONCLUSION Benefits of AFT Scope for Improvement to make AFT a viable success • AFT is a sustainable and successful food program • Local farms and farmers are not resilient enough • The metrics created were well defined, meaningful, • Need for Education, policies & Incentives to drive local food measurable, motivational and easy to understand and communicate to all stakeholders • The metrics created will enable us to statistically measure benefits of local food programs like the AFT • The project also provided a comprehensive assessment of health, resilience, fairness and transparency that are not generally used in a typical supply chain analysis • Social capital is as important as the economic capital! systems. • Consumers must be willing to eat seasonally • Heavy disparity and inconsistency issue with the supply and demand side in the markets for local produce • Uncertainties around social characteristics of sustainability • Lack of tracking or documentation of economic contribution of local food systems to the local economy. CALL FOR ACTION… • Scope to actually forecast, measure and compare the results of the indicators with time as AFT program continues to generate more revenue and consequently affect lives of more people • The metrics I present can be used as a marketing tool for branding and marketing the AFT program to demonstrate the importance of local food systems THANK YOU!