Voluntary Agriculture Sustainability Frameworks: Past, Present, And Future

The agri-food system is quickly adapting to account for growing consumer demand for sustainably sourced products and rapid globalization in agricultural supply chains. In response to those realities, many sectors of the agricultural supply chain have embraced and adopted voluntary (nongovernmental) sustainability standards and certifications. Those standards and certifications aim to respond to consumer preferences, reduce risk for producers, suppliers, and retailers, and advance opportunities for socioeconomic, environmental, and business benefits along the agriculture supply chain.