Apr 4, 2024

EFI events to shine light on sustainable farming practices

Equitable Food Initiative (EFI), the capacity-building and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumer groups, has announced three upcoming sustainability offerings.

EFI has premiered a video: “Agriculture is Climate Work.” The video highlights the achievements of the Produce & Reduce pilot program on GoodFarms’ Santa Maria operation. The film engages all the senses and brings viewers up close to the work of harvesting strawberries. It also showcases the specific steps undertaken to reduce waste and the program’s results. The premiere of this film will be during an April 11 LinkedIn live event.

Inspired by the success of the Produce & Reduce pilot program, EFI remains committed to assisting fresh produce grower-shippers to integrate sustainable practices into their operations, according to a news release.

Following an industry-wide needs assessment, EFI developed “Sustainability 101,” a three-day virtual course that supports companies in coordinating and articulating their sustainability initiatives. That needs assessment revealed 90% of surveyed companies identified internal coordination of sustainability efforts and effectively reporting those efforts to customers as their primary challenges, according to the release.

“Sustainability 101 will cover everything that needs to happen in the company to embed sustainability into their business in meaningful ways,” Lilian Autler, EFI’s climate and workforce development manager, said in the release. “It will also help address the most commonly cited need for growers-shippers to report those efforts to customers.”

The Sustainability 101 course is scheduled for May 15.

On May 14, EFI will be offering a free webinar entitled “How to Put Sustainability at the Heart of Your Brand,” featuring learnings from the newly released author Maisie Ganzler, an EFI founding board member. The insights draw from three decades of experience leading a $1.7 billion corporation toward a more sustainable future. Ganzler will share applicable lessons for fresh produce companies as they develop and share their sustainable practices. She is currently releasing her new book “You Can’t Market Manure at Lunchtime: And Other Lessons from the Food Industry for Creating a More Sustainable Company.”

Read more about the seminars here.