Pino Calcagni and the Besana Group are delighted to announce that on Thursday 15 September, at a meeting held in Singapore, they became founder members of the Global Agri-Business Alliance (GAA).
''We consider our invitation to participate as a founder member of the GAA a great honour and testament to the strength of our company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, the environment and positive ethical development.
The Global Agri-Business Alliance (GAA) is a voluntary CEO-led, pre-competitive coalition of agri-business companies from the private sector. The GAA will be focused on tackling sustainability, environmental and social challenges which will help to improve the resilience of all participants in the global agricultural sector.
The GAA’s mission is to address sustainability, social, labour and environmental issues where the agricultural sector is seen to have a shared responsibility.
Through a co-ordinated sector level approach we will look to collaboratively improve rural livelihoods, mitigate the impact of climate change, sustainably manage natural capital, contribute to global food and nutrition security, and accelerate progress towards achieving the prioritised UN ‘Sustainable Development Goals’.
The GAA, through its network benefits, thought leadership, practical insights and effective advocacy, will develop actionable solutions to tackle the major developmental challenges facing the global agri-business sector.
The GAA will also work with other multilateral institutions and the plural sector to be the voice of the agri-business community.
The GAA, through its members, will pursue five types of activities:
Set goals and targets to be jointly undertaken by members to support sustainable development. Specific focus areas will be decided collectively by members, and could include areas such as improving water-use efficiency in agriculture, reducing post-harvest food losses, strengthening sustainable land-use practices, enhancing labour standards and improving smallholder productivity and livelihoods, among others.
Establish workgroups that provide mutual support to achieving the goals approved by the Council, maximising the sharing of best practice and innovation.
Develop tools and other resources that build member capacity to successfully pursue these goals.
Agree on measurement and reporting methodology
Engage decision-makers to remove structural and policy barriers that prevent the agri-business sector from fully contributing towards the achievement of the SDGs.
Through these activities, the GAA will highlight the work of its member companies in order to inspire others to act, share best practices, and demonstrate the agri-business sector’s contribution to the SDGs at the sector level. The specific focus of GAA activities will be decided by the members collectively.
The GAA will emphasise the spirit of partnership and will seek opportunities for collaboration with other stakeholders in the design, execution and delivery of its activities.
We hope that you will share in our delight at the creation of and our participation in this Alliance whose joint efforts will positively impact on this planet and so the lives of both current and future generations.''
For more information, please visit www.besanaworld.com