1. Sustainable Practices Program Development: Strategic Planning Ukiah, CA February 11, 2009 North Coast 2008 Pear Research Meeting

2. Today’s Agenda  2008 Project Background  Sustainable Practice Programs  Practice “Checklist” Availability  Pursuing a Multi-Commodity Sustainable Practices Program  Summary & Next Steps – 2009 Project

3. Sustainable Practices – Lots of Activity

4. Sustainable Practices-Based Branding

5. Project Justification and Background Regulatory Compliance Meeting existing & evolving regulatory requirements Regulatory/Financial Incentives Qualifying for public/private incentives targeted at improving or recognizing sustainable practices (e.g., NRCS EQIP, Insurance, etc.) “Commercial” Compliance Meeting market demands/opportunities We need a strategic plan to develop a sustainable practices program to address a rapidly evolving market and regulatory environment driven by environmental, social, and economic concerns. Three forces acting on the industry are:

6. 2008 Project 2007 Project Business Process Leading to Practical Results Business process management approach to the integrated design, development and implementation of sustainable practices programs

7. Strategy Development What? Why? Industry leadership team formed Research - 3 crop groups + 8 UC researchers Strategic planning meeting Decision making formalized Explore crop group cost sharing opportunities Determine potential UC resources Strategic plan lays out program “roadmap” Continue?

8. Summary of Practice Program Strategy  Scope = California growers only  California pear industry program goal will be to provide initial benchmarking and to continue to show leadership in specialty crop sector  Start with environmental practice areas using a combination of Yes/No and 4-Level Least-to-Most questions  Utilize existing “free” practice checklists  Explore working with other tree crop groups  Analyze historical production research from a sustainability perspective

9. Key Potential Program Benefits Industry Grower Public relations – proactive effort + part of “good story” Identify grower education & outreach opportunities Regulatory incentives via collaboration with agencies Industry-level source for sustainably grown fruit Operational cost reductions – improved practices Private incentives – insurance, lending Regulatory relief via program participation Favorable contracts for sustainably grown fruit

10. Sustainable Practice Programs/Frameworks  Various models to choose from  Different models require different levels of effort and resources to develop  Framework selection depends on short- and long- term goals – what is appropriate for the California pear industry?

11. Current Sustainable Practice Programs SYSCO Sustainable/IPM = Soil, Water, IPM, nutrients, recycling, HR (little bit of many things…)

12. Example: Sustainable Winegrowing Program

13. Example: Food Alliance  Whole farm + crop specific practices  Levels of sustainability Pear Specific

14. Example: Positive Points for Citrus  Developed by UC Extension with citrus industry  Evaluation of usage of sustainable practices

15. UC Sustainable Ag Support Structure Agricultural Sustainability Institute SAREP UCD ResearchersUC ANR - UCCE  Early organizational stage: prioritizing activities  Laundry list of “Sustainability Solutions” (topics to be addressed)  No immediate tools, but will come… Tom Tomich very interested in pear process

16. “Checklist” Summary Practice Area*Potential SourcesStatus Pest Management (IPM)UC IPMVery Good Water Conservation & QualityUC, UC ASI, NRCS, RCDGood Energy EfficiencyPG&ENot Available Air QualityCARB, NRCS, UC ASIFair Nutrient ManagementUC, UC ASIFair LaborCIRS, APMAFair Solid waste/RecyclingUC, CDFANot Available * Economics = UC cost/return studies across many practice areas

17. Sustainable Practice “Checklist” Availability  UC Resources IPM, water conservation, water quality, air quality, nutrient management  SYSCO Sustainable – can use as long as proper credit is given  Sustainable Winegrowing Program – no-fee licensing agreement to use their content  Very few others are immediately usable

18. Pear Industry Practice Program  Use available checklists – UC IPM, SYSCO, SWP  Focus on environmental practice areas and maybe several practices from other areas  Create simple checklists for initial industry benchmarking

19. Pear Industry Benchmarking Potential

20. Multi-Commodity Practice Program  Contacted cherry, dried plum, pistachio, walnut, and stone fruit association executives and most are interested in getting together to discuss a program  Great Valley Center grant from Columbia and Heller Foundations to explore potential  Can pear industry leverage this cross commodity funding opportunity?  What the process might look like…

21. Multi-Commodity Practice Program Concept Orchard Mgmt Pest Mgmt Water Conservation Water Quality Air Quality Soil Quality Energy Efficiency Human Resources Neighbors/Community Tree Crop Overlap Harvest Ecosystem Mgmt

22. Next Steps – Benchmarking & Analysis Business process management approach to the integrated design, development and implementation of sustainable practices programs

23. Select Practices from Existing Sources California Pear Industry Sustainable Practices Committee Review Growers Processor/Packer UCCE

24. Industry Benchmarks in 2009 California Pear Industry Sustainable Practices Data Capture Survey Aggregate Results Generate Reports Individual growersAll growers Industry averages Grower vs. industry average Year-to-year comparison

25. Continue “Good Story” Background Work What? How? Link historical research to Sustainability Results/benefits conveyed in “sustainable-ese” Incorporate into future research decisions Compile historical research project info Analyze each project against resources & “3 E’s” Analyze final results for communication needs

26. Questions?