DEVELOP WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Transcription

1 A footprint to environmental sustainability DEVELOP WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY AHCWRK511A Workforce Innovations Program Project 275 Materials produced by Regional Skills Training Pty Ltd Funding provided by the DIISRTE Workforce Innovations Program

2 Activity I Fact I Website CONTENTS About yourself 03 Trouble with website links 03 How are these materials used 03 What are these learning materials about 04 Employability skills 05 Unit descriptor and how the unit applies to your workplace 05 Develop workplace sustainability policy 06 Communicate workplace sustainability policy 27 Implement workplace sustainability policy 34 Monitor and Review workplace sustainability policy implementation 38 Summary of key innovations/opportunities identified as a result of adopting these skills 46 Bibliography and source material 46 Being confident about your skill levels 48 Assessment 50 COPYRIGHT NOTICE Bridging the Gap between Chemical and Organic Food and Fibre Production. These interactive workbooks were produced by Regional Skills Training and funded by Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, Workforce Innovations Program and are intended for free use to any student, RTO or school. Note that any work is copyright and should not be reproduced or copied for commercial gain. 2

3 1 ABOUT YOURSELF Please fill in your details below and save this PDF to your files. Name Phone 2 TROUBLE WITH SITE LINKS Sometimes you may click on a web link and the site will say it is not available. Please revisit the site when you are next working on your resource materials as web sites are sometimes off line for maintenance reasons. If you are consistently unable to access a site you are free to answer any associated workbook activity or assessment question by searching for and finding an alternative site that you feel is applicable. PLEASE INCLUDE THE LINK IN YOUR ANSWERS so we know where to look to check your information. 3 HOW ARE THESE MATERIALS USED This workbook has a strong focus on the selfdirected application of knowledge. Completing this workbook and all formative assessments will thoroughly prepare you for your summative assessment. On successful completion of appropriate summative assessments provided by your Registered Training Organisation (RTO), you will achieve competency in this unit. Please complete the feedback form at the back of the unit and advise us of any links that do not work 3

4 This workbook applies to any person working in an Agrifood enterprise. 4 WHAT ARE THESE LEARNING MATERIALS ABOUT This workbook applies to any person working in an Agrifood enterprise where they are required to develop, or contribute to, sustainability policies and procedures. The scope of the workbook includes the following activities: Develop workplace sustainability policy Communicate workplace sustainability policy Implement workplace sustainability policy Review workplace sustainability policy implementation. This workbook has a strong focus on the self-directed application of knowledge with substantial depth in the areas of: Best practice approaches Environmental or sustainability legislation, regulations and codes of practice Equal employment opportunity, equity and diversity principles and occupational health and safety implications of policy being developed Policy development processes and practices Principles, practices and available tools and techniques of sustainability management relevant to the particular industry context Quality assurance systems Relevant organisational policies, procedures and protocols Relevant systems and procedures to aid in the achievement of workplace sustainability. 4

5 The work book provides an opportunity to develop and apply employability skills. 5 EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS This workbook provides an opportunity to develop and apply employability skills that are learnt throughout work and life to your job. The statements below list the typical employability skills that would be applied in a situation related to developing, implementing and reviewing sustainability policies and procedures in Agrifood sectors. In completing your daily work tasks, activities and summative assessments related to this unit of competence, you must be able to demonstrate that you are applying the employability skills listed below to this competency. Communication skills Identify and accurately report problems Organisational skills Teamwork skills Technological skills Use mathematical ideas and techniques. 6 UNIT DESCRIPTOR AND HOW THE UNIT APPLIES TO YOUR WORKPLACE This unit of competency covers the process of developing workplace policy and procedures for sustainability and describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to develop and implement a workplace sustainability policy, including the modification of the policy to suit changing circumstances. It applies to all sectors of the Agrifood industry. The scope of workplace sustainability policy may include addressing sustainability initiatives through reference to standards, guidelines and sustainability approaches. 5

6 sustainable agriculture is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs 7 DEVELOP WORKPLACE SUSTAINABILITY POLICY If you are involved in an Agrifood business and you are asked to develop a sustainability policy, where would you start? Would you understand the concept of sustainable agriculture and how it might apply to your industry or business? Often the best place to start is to gather information from relevant sources and develop a broad understanding of what sustainability means to different industries. By gathering and analysing this information you can then start to refine or drill down to what is relevant to you and then more effectively scope your sustainability policy. Let s start this process with a broad understanding of sustainable agriculture in Australia. There are 3 main goals: Economic sustainability Social sustainability Natural resource and production sustainability Regardless of how sustainability is defined and scoped, the basic intent is the same; sustainable agriculture is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Basically, if natural resources such as soil, nutrients and water are used up at a rate faster than they are replaced, then the farming system is unsustainable. Throughout this workbook you will be asked to complete a number of activities to demonstrate your understanding of the subjects being discussed. To get the most out of these activities, you need to make the activities applicable to your business. Use the extracts/weblinks in this workbook (in this section and in the bibliography at the end of the workbook) and other sources to assist your research. Please include reference sources of information that you have used in your responses so that we can check these source as required. 6

7 Activity 1 Have a look at the following You Tube video of Michael Hogan of Bencubbin, Western Australia, and consider how you would feel if you inherited a 4000 hectare property that could no longer sustain traditional cropping. Now answer the following questions: 1) What impact did the previous generations use of industrialised agricultural practices have on this property? 2) What steps did Michael take to understand the issues and address them? 7

8 3) What do you think are the benefits of the program that Michael introduced? So how does your product or business stack up in terms of sustainability? What lifecycle impact does your product/business have and how do you identify and quantify these? There are a number of standards, guidelines and approaches that you can use to answer these questions. Some of these could include: Ecological footprinting Energy Efficiency Opportunities Bill 2005 Global Reporting Initiative Green office program Green purchasing Greenhouse Challenge Plus (Australian government initiative) ISO 14001:1996 Environmental management systems life cycle analyses Life cycle analyses Product stewardship Supply chain management Sustainability covenants/compacts Triple bottom line reporting Integrated approach to sustainability which includes environmental, economic and social aspects, or a specific approach that focuses on each aspect individually Investigating particular business and market context of the industry/organisation Meeting relevant laws, by laws and regulations or best practice to support compliance in environmental performance and sustainability 8

9 Activity 2 This activity is designed to get you thinking about the impact that your business might have on environmental, social and economic sustainability. You need to consider the full supply chain for your product/business, the key stakeholders involved and how they do/do not contribute to sustainable practices. Briefly describe your enterprise and your products/services. List each step involved in the supply chain for your product/business OR attach a supply chain diagram if you have one. Are there any significant lifecycle impacts (e.g. hot spots) that may result from your business/part of your business? What are they and who is responsible for them (you, supplier, customer, or distributor)? Now list the key stakeholders involved in your supply chain and identify how they might assist you to resolve some of these hot spots. For example, your supplier might assist you by providing local products that have a low carbon footprint. 9

10 Now let s consider some other sources of information that are relevant to the development of a sustainability policy such as legislative/regulatory bodies (e.g. government departments, local councils, primary production organisations). Identifying regulatory requirements that will inform how you develop your sustainability policy requires some dedicated research. There may be international, national, state and regional requirements that you may need to consider. This can be complicated to sort through, but once you are fully informed, you can make the most appropriate decisions for your business. Some examples include: Dairy Australia; Regulatory Framework ; Australia; Take some time to review this matrix of regulatory requirements for the dairy industry. It s complex. The Western Australian Farming for the Future Industry Practice Baselines publication provides an overview of legislation affecting agricultural land management in Western Australia (as at June 2008). The legislation listed is state legislation unless otherwise noted. Landholders may use the guide to gain a general understanding of their legal obligations to manage the environment and as a starting point from which to develop a legal register for an environmental management system. Some 40 pieces of legislation were taken into account in the preparation of Farming for the Future documents and these are provided in Appendix 10 of the following document: Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia; Farming for the Future ; Western Australia; 2008; Appendix 10, p sust/f4findustrypracticebaselinejune09final.pdf Some other links/extracts that identify legislative/regulatory requirements or industry based standards are listed below. Department of Primary Industries Victoria; Responsibilities of Victorian Landholders. Environment and Resource Management Queensland Government; Good Quality Agricultural Land ; Australia; Australian Government; Legislation ; Australia; MLA; AgriSure/LPA QA ; Australia; Production-Assurance/LPA-Quality-Assurance Biological Farmers of Australia; Australian Certified Organic Standard 2010: Version 1.0 ; Australia; BFAPublications/AustralianOrganicStandard.aspx 10

11 Activity 3 An important part of any sustainability policy is to commit to legislative and regulatory requirements and where applicable, national and international standards. Within the context of your product/business conduct your own research and identify the ones that are relevant to your business. Include a list of these below: Applicable legislative, regulatory requirements and national/international standards Source 11

12 Consultation with key stakeholders is another important aspect of planning a sustainability policy. The following extract provides examples of how stakeholder consultation can contribute to policy development. Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australian Government; Farming for the Future Self Assessment Tool ; SAT Edition 1; Bulletin 4694 ISSN ; 2006; p1. This publication is part of an ongoing consultative process to identify current recommended practices. The process has involved producers, producer and catchment groups, industry representative bodies, non-government organisations and various State and Commonwealth Government agencies. The Sustainable Agricultural Practices Working Group has provided strategic guidance through the development of the Farming for the Future initiative. This Group has been comprised of representatives from: Department of Agriculture and Food Department of Premier and Cabinet Curtin University of Technology ERA Farming Company Natural Resource Councils of Western Australia World Wide Fund for Nature Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA University of Western Australia WA Farmers. 12

13 Activity 4 In activity 2 you listed the key stakeholders involved in your supply chain and identified how they might assist you to resolve some of the identified hot spots in your enterprise (e.g. your supplier might assist you by providing local products that have a low carbon footprint). It is time to select one of these (or use a hypothetical situation if required) and consider how you would consult with this stakeholder and work out a means of bringing about the desired change. Copy one of the key stakeholders from activity 2 and identify how they could assist your enterprise be more sustainable (or insert a hypothetical example if required) How will you consult with this stakeholder? What are the advantages and disadvantages to the stakeholder if they agree to your request? Advantages Disadvantages What response do you expect to get? What strategies will you use to convince this stakeholder in the event that he/she responds negatively to your request? 13

14 Include appropriate strategies in policy at all stages of work for minimising resource use, reducing toxic material and hazardous chemical use, and employing life cycle management approaches. It is generally accepted that the number of sustainability strategies a producer can use, is limited only by the producer s imagination and what can be afforded as a cost to the business. Sustainability strategies can be targeted for all aspects of the business but are commonly seen in the following areas: Marketing Community consultation Pest, disease and weed management Sustainable grazing Conservation tillage Creating crop, livestock and landscape diversity Nutrient management On-Farm energy conservation A whole-farm integrated management system. Hopefully this has got you thinking about some of the strategies you could use to improve the sustainability of your enterprise. To add to your arsenal of potential strategies, take some time to have a look at the Western Australian Government s Farming for the Future Industry Practice Baselines document. This covers a broad range of industries and may be a useful reference for the development of your sustainability policy. The following extract is an example of the recommended baseline soil and land management practices that beef farmers should employ to demonstrate commitment to natural resource and production sustainability. Department of Food and Agriculture Western Australian Government; New Irrigation Calculator to Aid Horticulture Water Use Efficiency ; Australia; 11 October A new online Irrigation Calculator has been launched to help horticulture growers and investors make more informed crop production decisions and improve on-farm water use efficiency. Growers and investors can tailor their information to their individual situation to help them maximise their water use and minimise wastage. The following link provides an overview of the various grazing strategies that can be used to manage native pastures. MLA also produce a number of publications/modules that are available on-line to assist farmers understand the strategies that are available. Meat and Livestock Australia; Grazing Strategies ; Australia; Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australian Government; P Grazing-management/Grazing-strategies This You Tube video demonstrates how the land s capability needs to be matched to appropriate production systems. This is an example of working with nature to develop a sustainable farm: imported_assets/content/sust/ f4findustrypracticebaselinejune09final.pdf The Western Australian Government is assisting the horticulture industry to minimise water wastage by developing tools to assist producers make better on-farm decisions. NACC CFOC Ashley Sutherland and Fodder Shrubs,

15 Farming for the Future will recognise primary producers who are using industry agreed practices. Through Farming for the Future Western Australian primary producers can be recognised as operating in an economically, environmentally and socially responsible manner. Farming for the Future will recognise primary producers who are using industry agreed practices. They can be recognised by participating in an existing industry assurance program, or by successfully completing a Farming for the Future Self-Assessment Tool (SAT). Take some time to look through this SAT and see if it is of relevance to your enterprise. By working through this assessment, you will have a good understanding of your current practices and what gaps need to be filled to demonstrate sustainability. Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australian Government; Farming for the Future Self Assessment Tool ; SAT Edition 1; Bulletin 4694 ISSN ;

16 Activity 5 By now you have read a lot of information on sustainability and should have a good idea of how you might improve your commitment to a sustainable business. In the table on the following page (grey shaded columns only): Identify the current agricultural practices that are used within your enterprise by category (i.e. economic, social and natural resource sustainability and biosecurity). For each practice, determine if it is sustainable. Now having researched sustainable agricultural practices/standards/legislation, update the table on the following page with those practices that could apply to your enterprise. List these in dot point form. Please note, this is a list of possible practices that you may or may not implement. 16

17 Current Practices Sustainable Y/N Sustainable Practices What is the key benefit to my enterprise? Is there a cost? If so, how much? Implement Y/N Reference Economic Sustainability Social Sustainability 17

18 Current Practices Sustainable Y/N Sustainable Practices What is the key benefit to my enterprise? Is there a cost? If so, how much? Implement Y/N Reference Natural Resource Sustainability Biosecurity 18

19 Make recommendations for policy options based on likely effectiveness, timeframes and cost Now that you have researched the various strategies and practices that you could implement to demonstrate your commitment to sustainability, it is now time to ask yourself the question should I do it? What is the cost/benefit to you or your enterprise? This question should always be considered from the triple bottom line. Let s look at a case study to illustrate this point. Imagine if you were a broad acre grain producer in a high rainfall zone with soils that became easily waterlogged, causing crop failures or significantly reduced yield. As a result of your research into sustainable farming practices you identified that raised beds could drain water and increase yield. Problem solved! But of course it s not that easy. Knowing how to fix a problem is just part of the equation. You need to work out how much it s going to cost to implement and what the probability of success (translated to profit or social values) is going to be. Only then can you work out if it s an approach that is going to work for you. The following extract provides an overview of how this might be determined. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australian Government; Soil Health Knowledge Bank Raised Beds Drain Water and Boost Profitability ; pp1-3,6. PDFfiles/shkb_case_4.pdf An example of a budget that would help make a decision on whether to adopt raised beds is presented below. For this example, the following assumptions are made: The area to be cropped is 900 ha, One year in four is a wet winter with high waterlogging risk, Following wet winters, flat land crops yield 30% less than raised bed crops, During normal years, flat land crops yield 5% less than raised bed crops, The farm operates on a three year rotation of wheat canola barley and is currently sown to 300 ha of each, Grain prices are wheat $200/t, canola $350/t, barley $170/t. The cost of using contractors to set up the system is $205/ha. For 900 hectares this comes to $184,500. These setup costs will be amortised (paid back) over a 10 year period at an interest rate of 7%. The extra costs associated with modifying machinery are $20,000, and the cost of a design consultant is $4000. Both are amortised over 10 years at 7%. Total amortised costs for 900 hectares is $29,960 per year. Allowing for a one in four year penalty from waterlogging of 30% of crops grown on the flat, and a 5% annual difference in favour of raised beds in the other three years, the estimated annual return due to raised beds is $108,300 (Table 3). With a total extra annual return of $108,300 and total annual amortised costs (including interest) of $29,690, for this example the average annual net benefit from the raised beds to the farm business is ($108,300 minus $29,690) $78,610 or $87/ha. So from this example, the cost/benefit of implementing raised beds would stack up providing the assumptions made were correct. On a broader national scale, government departments are looking to the potential savings that might result from sustainable farming practices. According to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australian Government) the net benefits to Australian farmers treating soil sodicity and acidity, could be more than $11 billion. This potential saving proved sufficient to invest in a program called The Healthy Soils for Sustainable Farms between The program invested in projects to: Optimise farm management, meaning greater cost-effectiveness Add value to property through the soil resource Benefit Australia s food and fibre exports Boost our national environmental credibility in soil research. 19

20 Activity 6 Now it is time to review the outcome of activity 5 and identify whether the practices nominated are ones that are of benefit to you and your enterprise to implement. Complete the grey shaded columns. Current Practices Sustainable Y/N Sustainable Practices What is the key benefit to my enterprise? Is there a cost? If so, how much? Implement Y/N Reference Economic Sustainability Social Sustainability 20

21 Current Practices Sustainable Y/N Sustainable Practices What is the key benefit to my enterprise? Is there a cost? If so, how much? Implement Y/N Reference Natural Resource Sustainability Biosecurity 21

22 Develop policy that reflects the organisation s commitment to sustainability as an integral part of business planning and as a business opportunity Now that you have planned the development of your policy by gathering and analysing information and identifying sustainable practices that are of benefit to you/your business, it is time to get down to the process of writing your policy. But what is a policy exactly? There are many definitions which you can research on-line, but for the most part a sustainability policy is: A written document that reflects your organisation s commitment to sustainability as an integral part of your business. It is used as a guideline to influence and determine decisions, actions, and other matters to achieve rational outcomes aligned with your organisation s commitment. It is not a law or a rule that can never be broken, but signals your intent and should assist you and your staff make better decisions. The best policies are simple and to the point. Often, these policies are limited to no more than one page so that they are easy to read, understand and apply by all key stakeholders. What you include within your policy is up to you as you are the one who best understands how it will be received/used by your target audience. The following extract from the Government of Victoria describes the elements that might be considered within an environmental policy. Government of Victoria ResourceSmart; Develop and Environmental Policy ; Australia; An environment policy states your agency s commitment to the environment and to reducing your environmental impacts. An environment policy will help you to: Create a healthier, safer workplace Improve your financial bottom line Enhance your image in the community. As a minimum, the policy should: State the organisation s missions and core values Commit to: protecting the environment complying with relevant legislation and/or regulation complying with relevant government policy commitments continual improvement in environmental performance Set a timeline for periodically reviewing environmental goals Get sign off from your CEO, board or executive Be made publicly available Be included in staff and contractor inductions. 22

23 Other commitments may be part of the policy. For example, you may want to: Influence key stakeholders to improve their environmental performance Make sustainability a driving principle or value for your agency Set targets to reduce specific environmental impacts such as energy or water consumption, waste production or impacts on natural systems Be leaders in the field of environmental management. It is important to match the policy to the nature and scale of your agency s activities and its environmental impacts. For example, think about: How the policy fits with your mission, vision, core values and beliefs? Coordination with other organisational policies (such as quality or occupational health and safety) Specific local or regional conditions Depending on the size and complexity of your operations, the policy can range from a simple statement with one or two paragraphs to a longer document with multiple pages. Now let s have a look at two examples of policy statements that will help illustrate these points: 1. Government of Victoria ResourceSmart; Environmental Sustainability Policy ; Australia; Yalumba; Yalumba and the Environment ; Australia; As you read these policies, note the different styles and what each organisation has deemed important to include in their respective policies. Consider which style you prefer and which one would be most appropriate for your enterprise/target audience. The point here is that there is no formula that works in all situations. 23

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25 YALUMBA SUSTAINABILITY POLICY As a wine business operating in the rural environment for over 160 years The Yalumba Wine Company understands the need to protect the fundamental elements essential to the making of quality wine: land, air, water and energy. Through its Commitment to Sustainable Winemaking programme Yalumba aims to identify, quantify and address any significant lifecycle impacts that may result from the Company s business activities. The programme shall address actual or potential impacts on the environment through continuous improvement and environmental monitoring. By doing so, the long-term effects of these impacts on the sustainability of the business shall also be mitigated. Significantly, the Company shall not only meet its legal obligations but also integrate environmental considerations into pertinent business decisions in a socially responsible and cost-effective manner. Environmental, social and economic responsibility shall become integral aspects of normal business practice. To achieve its commitment to sustainable grape growing, winemaking, packaging and distribution Yalumba shall use pertinent national and/or international standards to ensure effective implementation of management systems that protect the environment and the integrity of Yalumba s wine. As part of Yalumba s commitment to sustainability, suppliers shall be encouraged to reduce their environmental impacts by adopting clean technology and best practice procedures. Furthermore, the Company shall seek to encourage its customers to dispose of product packaging in a responsible manner. Yalumba shall also seek to establish strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders to ensure that its commitment to sustainability addresses shared and extended responsibilities. ROBERT HILL SMITH Managing Director 22nd March

26 Activity 7 It is now time for you to develop a sustainability policy for your enterprise. Use the material that you have researched so far in this workbook and the results of the activities you have completed, to develop a succinct policy of no more than 1 page. Organisation/Name Sustainability Policy 26

27 Farming for the Future will recognise primary producers who are using industry agreed practices. 8COMMUNICATE THE WORKPLACE SUSTAINABILITY POLICY Now that you have developed a workplace sustainability policy it is time to consider: How will the policy be communicated and promoted to key stakeholders including expected outcomes? What are the most appropriate methods of implementation? What are the activities that will be implemented? What are the expected outcomes of the policy? Everyone in your organisation needs to be aware of the policy for it to work, including employees, customers and other key stakeholders. Some ways of communicating your policy might include: Put your policy on public display and on your website, if you have one. Make it available to the public in hard copy if requested. Present the policy at staff meetings. Hang the policy in places where it will be seen: Your front office or reception Behind a sales counter Meeting rooms On the shed door In the factory Include the policy in workplace communications, staff/contractor induction packages. Providing ongoing training related to policy implementation and expected outcomes. 27

28 When communicating your policy and convincing people to change, you need to consider how your target audience might react. Will they embrace it openly or resist it? Any form of change is often met with skepticism or resistance. Plan for this and work out strategies that will convince your stakeholders that it is a good idea. Work out beforehand what it means for them and what benefits they might get out of it. If you can work out the benefits for your key stakeholders you can present a win/win situation where the change is in the interest of both parties. This makes acceptance of the change much easier. The following extract is an example of a farmer s experience implementing more sustainable practices in his dairy in Katunga, Victoria: Department of Primary Industries Victoria; Better Pasture, More Productivity, and a Good Night s Sleep A Case Study from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries ; Victoria; Running his hands through lush pasture on his 400-hectare property in northern Victoria, Katunga dairy farmer Ross Nicoll reflects on how the implementation of a farm plan, laser levelling and the installation of a state-of-the art irrigation system have transformed his farming business. With Murray Valley Irrigation District water allocations at 43 per cent, Ross has reduced herd numbers from 1,000 in 2007 to 700 in 2008, while continuing to increase production per cow. It was around six years ago that the drought started to impact on water allocations. In addition, the farm s manually-controlled irrigation system demanded around-the-clock attention. With a young family of three boys, plus the challenges of water flow management, the big dry and increasing water and feed costs, Ross knew change was crucial to the future sustainability of the farm. With assistance from DPI s Environmental Management teams and irrigation designers, Ross developed a whole farm plan. This plan integrated many aspects of water management and water use efficiency, which gave him the direction and confidence he needed to develop the property. Development of laser grading, better designed channels and bay outlets, in addition to the upgrading of the recycle dam, contributed to improved water use efficiency. A radio-controlled water distribution system which can operate up to 24 hours a day, seven days a week completes the farm plan objectives. By using our water more efficiently we are achieving best practise. We are more professional in the way we manage the pasture and consequently have a more productive farm with fewer weeds and less chemical use, Ross said. Home grown pasture is integral in driving profit margins for the business and, in turn, high water efficiency allows for optimal farm productivity and a positive future. Today, with these sound practices in place, Ross has doubled the amount of dry feed produced per hectare, and developed a farming system more able to cope with drought and climate change. Because of the improved water use-efficiency we have increased the amount of dry feed per hectare from an average of seven or eight tonnes to 15 or 16 tonnes, Ross said. 28

29 Activity 8 Imagine that you are a conventional dairy farmer set on continuing past agricultural practices and facing the same issues as Ross Nicoll was facing. Would this case study influence you to change and if so, why? Other than peers demonstrating successful and profitable outcomes, what other strategies could be used to motivate farmers to implement more sustainable practices? 29

30 Having formulated a sustainability policy you need to consider how best to approach its implementation. Will you implement in one big bang or will you take a more evolutionary approach and implement over time, in discreet stages. You also need to consider the issues and constraints that affect your business, for example: How much change can your business accept? What resources do you have available (people, equipment, money)? Do you have the skills/experience or do you need to bring in expertise/attend training? Are there any time constraints within which you must work e.g. don t make substantial changes during busy periods? Are there any environmental constraints (seasonal variations) within which you must work? Planning a staged approach to implementation allows you to: Break the implementation down into bite size chunks or stages. For each stage: Itemise the resources required (people, equipment, tools, training, machinery, expertise, modifications to equipment etc.). Cost each item. Confirm resource availability or when the resource will be available (lead time). Identify potential benefits. Where possible, provide a potential cost saving for the benefit (e.g. avoided costs, increased production/profit). Determine the tasks to be completed, who will complete the task, duration of each task and any dependencies between tasks. Prepare an implementation plan based on the above to determine the overall duration of the stage. Assess the costs and benefits of each stage and determine which ones will give you the most bang for your buck. Implement the stages in a logical sequence so that you are gradually building your skills and capabilities. Monitor progress and decide whether the program is working and fine tune along the way. Before completing the next activity, take some time to review the following extract which explains how this producer staged the implementation of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Stage 1 In response to participation in Western Flower Thrips industry workshops in the grower made the following changes: 1. Improved his greenhouse structure by increasing height and adding roof ventilation 2. Improved farm hygiene program by clearing weeds early and removing Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus infected plants from the crop. Kept his plants generally healthy 3. Began using yellow sticky traps before planting, and routine crop scouting as a basis to spray decisions. Results From the beginning there were very few thrips on the sticky traps, although outdoor numbers of Western Flower Thrips were very high in some areas. The grower decided he could withhold pesticides until early December when white fly became a problem. This meant that he was able to withhold all pesticide applications for 5 months during spring and summer. Only 2 or 3 subsequent applications of Lannate were needed over the life of the crop for whitefly control. This is a major achievement at Virginia! Even 1-2 months of pesticide reduction is a major step forward in an area where most growers spray regularly, even weekly. Only four plants were infected with Virus and the grower saved a lot of time and money by not using insecticides for so long. 30

31 Stage 2 Further changes in technology and practices were initiated by the grower in and assisted by SARDI staff and a horticultural consultant. 1. Shade-cloth was replaced with Anti-Virus mesh 2. Pest control trials using beneficial insects were conducted in a tomato crop Fine Anti-Virus mesh was fitted to the sides and roof vents (as with the Azrom demonstration greenhouse) to restrict entry of flying insects. A tomato crop planted at the end of January was monitored using 6 yellow sticky traps at the four corners of the crop and two in the middle. These were changed weekly and checked for thrips by SARDI entomologists. The grower conducted his own routine checks in his crop for whitefly levels and Virus infected plants. A range of beneficial insects were used: Encarsia formosa for whitefly control released weekly at 1/m2 from week 3 Typhlodromips montdorensis mites for Western Flower Thrips in three doses of 10/m2 from week 3 at two week intervals Results Overall the grower was very happy with the results of changes to his greenhouse design and crop scouting for summer control of thrips, TSWV and whitefly in tomatoes, but not in cucumbers. He wants to continue with IPM in these crops by working out how to overcome ventilation problems when using fine mesh, and would be willing to try beneficial insects again. As you can see there are costs and benefits and they don t always stack up. The staged approach to implementation has enabled this producer to make objective decisions about the success of the IPM and whether to invest further or make modifications to the program. South Australian Research and Development Corporation; Case 4; National IPM Newsletter Issue 01; P12. Hypoaspis (soil) mites to help with control of thrips pupae and fungus gnats were released in three doses over 3 weeks. Tomato leaves were inspected several times after week 6 to look for predatory mites without success. Lower tomato leaves were inspected regularly for whitefly pupae and evidence of parasitism by encarsia. No additional pest control was found to be needed for mites (TSM), aphids etc. data/assets/pdf_ file/0004/93631/ipm_case_histories_-1.pdf 31

32 Activity 9 What are the benefits of this staged approach? What are the disadvantages of this staged approach? 32

33 Activity 10 Now consider your workplace sustainability policy and identify your approach to implementation and why you have chosen this approach: Now select one sustainable practice that you will implement and prepare a project plan which includes: tasks to be completed (in sequence) who is responsible resources required duration (e.g. 5 days) start and end dates dependencies (e.g. existing equipment must be modified). Task Who will Perform Task Resources Required Duration Start and End Date Dependencies 33

34 Dairy Australia has created a very useful tool to support the development of a simple set of operating procedures to help farmers get started. 9IMPLEMENT WORKPLACE SUSTAINABILITY POLICY Now that you have developed and communicated your sustainability policy and prepared a plan for its implementation, you can now commence implementation. The sustainable practices that you are about to introduce should be clearly documented in the form of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). If you already have a SOP manual, then you need to review and update it to reflect the commitment to sustainability that you have made in your policy. Dairy Australia has created a very useful tool to support the development of a simple set of operating procedures to help farmers get started. It is useful to look at this tool as well as using search engines to find other SOP templates. Remember that there are two key criteria that must be met in developing your SOP manual: Each SOP must be applicable to your business and in a format that will allow: ease of use and documentation. Each relevant SOP must allow for you to meet: the commitments you have made in your sustainability policy, including legislative and regulatory requirements. Take some time to look at this Generator tool from Dairy Australia If you do not have an SOP manual, creating one from scratch can be quite daunting as most owner/ operators start with the information in their heads. Each farm will have its own way of doing things, partly because of the infrastructure and partly because of the management. Many industry based organisations and QA organisations (e.g. APIQ, MLA, Dairy Australia etc.) may be able to provide you with SOPs but no existing system will fit all circumstances. The skill is to refine the SOPs that you are provided with to specifically suit your production system and business whilst still achieving compliance with your sustainability policy. Dairy Australia; Farm Standard Operating Procedures Australia;

35 The (SOPs) are descriptions of the way particular tasks should be carried out on the farm. They help ensure that everything that needs to be done gets done for example, correct hygiene procedures during milking to minimise mastitis. Using standard operating procedures is also the way to get consistency when different people are doing the same job. There is no set way that each process must be carried out across the industry but the Generator tool allows you to create a simple Word document with a set of generic operating procedures (including safety procedures) to use as a starting point under the farm management system areas: milk harvesting animal husbandry feed management and delivery pasture production and cropping plant equipment and infrastructure maintenance administration. Once the tool has been downloaded and installed onto your computer you can use it as often as you like. The documents you can create with the Generator are: Position descriptions for the people working on your farm Standard operating procedures for a particular person, task or the entire farm Safety procedures for a particular person, task or the entire farm Safety protocols related to safety procedures. The MLA publishes a number of manuals that may also be of use when developing SOPs in the beef industry: MLA; More Beef From Pastures ; Australia; Extension-and-training/More-Beef-from-Pastures 35

36 Activity 11 You are required to complete the following activity related to standard operating procedures for your business. Write 4 complete SOP s that are applicable to your business and will be used to demonstrate your sustainability policy in action. You can use existing templates or ones that you have downloaded but they must be contextualised to your business systems. Attach each completed SOP to this interactive document and submit to your lecturer. Once you have developed these procedures they must be communicated to staff. Where such procedures require significant change, it will not be possible to implement these successfully without providing staff training. In some cases the training may be legislated (e.g. related to chemical accreditation or licensing for machinery operation) and in other cases the training will be specifically related to the required changes in the workplace to ensure sustainability is achieved. Successful training will involve the strategic use of techniques, tools, activities and actions to engender change in target groups (e.g. staff). The capacity of business managers to achieve practice change is determined by the knowledge and confidence gained by staff in the training process. Training courses can be developed in house or provided externally (e.g. accredited training organisations, grower groups or industry bodies). This is an example of what the MLA can offer beef producers: Australian red meat producers have primary responsibility for stewardship of approximately 50% of Australia s land area. Australian livestock production systems are among the most efficient and sustainable in the world, with much of the production based on natural pasture systems on about 3.6 million square kilometres or 46% of Australia s land area (BRS data for land use in Australia). The red meat industry operates on a principle of continuous improvement in triple bottom line performance and is always looking for ways to improve environmental sustainability. MLA has invested $7.5 million in research and development projects to address a range of issues relating to environmental sustainability. These activities will help producers meet the challenges of an increasingly demanding regulatory environment and growing consumer expectations. Biodiversity In response to the potential impacts of livestock production on biodiversity, MLA has developed a number of training and education initiatives, codes of practice and monitoring guidelines that enable producers to adopt management practices that help protect the diverse ecosystems on-farm while maintaining an efficient and economically viable business. Climate change and climate variability MLA is assisting red meat producers with practical strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to long-term climate change and manage seasonal climate variability through research and development initiatives. MLA also produces a range of practical resources, tools and fact sheets that explain these complex issues and help red meat producers manage change. Meat and Livestock Australia; Environmental Management ; Australia; Environmental-management Protecting the environment for future generations is a key responsibility for livestock producers and a vital part of ensuring the ongoing sustainability of individual businesses and the red meat industry. Environmental stewardship Red meat producers are stewards of the land and the environment and make a critical contribution to managing Australia s natural resources. MLA is developing an environmental stewardship module that can be linked to the on-farm business management program AgriSure. This voluntary program will be available to producers who wish to actively demonstrate the environmentally responsible nature of their livestock production systems. 36

37 Activity 12 In previous activities you have selected sustainable procedures that are applicable and useful to your business. Complete the table below identifying the training needs for your workplace to implement and maintain your sustainability outcomes. Who is the person needing training? What training do they need? What role will they participate in when they have completed training? 37

38 10 MONITOR AND REVIEW WORKPLACE SUSTAINABILITY POLICY IMPLEMENTATION Now let s assume that you have implemented your sustainability program. What now? Can you take the approach of set and forget? To some extent, sustainability programs are in a constant state of implementation. Practices need to be constantly monitored and reviewed to ensure that the program is meeting your objectives. Remember too that new ideas and technologies are constantly emerging that may be of benefit to your enterprise. Producers need to stay on top of new developments and determine if there is a better practice that can be adopted. This is a cycle of continuous improvement. Monitoring is the regular gathering and analysis of information needed for your day-to-day management, to ensure a system is being implemented and expected outcomes/objectives are being achieved. Without good record keeping and monitoring, it is difficult for a business to accurately determine if system requirements are being met. This is especially important when there are multiple participants/staff. Monitoring needs to be based on a realistic but effective system suited to your business needs. Firstly you must be clear about: What it is you are monitoring. The decisions you want to be able to make using the monitoring results. The information you need to collect to make these decisions. Then you need a system that enables you to: collect the information easily that you need use it to make decisions. You must also decide if: you will manage all of this yourself, include staff, or use a consultant. The following extract provides an example of tools developed for the dairy industry, how they can be used to demonstrate outcomes and inform whether further improvements are required. Dairy Australia; Soils Nutrients and Effluent. Better fertiliser decisions database This tool was designed for farmers to use in consultation with their farm adviser, fertiliser consultant and catchment manager. It enables farm managers to plot on a curve the increase in pasture growth for a given application of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium or sulphur, depending on their soil type. Fertiliser recommendations based on the database can save farmers thousands of dollars a year in fertiliser application. The following You Tube video demonstrates how Keith Tunney from Western Australia monitors the effectiveness of his perennial pasture program via observations and annual soil tests. Having completed an annual soil test for the past 13 years, Keith can identify and analyse trends and confirm whether his program is delivering improvements over time (e.g. soil carbon improvements). NACC CFOC Sustainable Farming with Perennial Pastures 5 Good monitoring information can be used for purposes such as: Improving property level management, planning and long term sustainability Implementing environmental and farm management systems Monitoring progress of agreed actions Supporting the activities of local landcare groups, catchment groups or regional natural resource management bodies. 38

39 Industry bodies, government departments are investing in the development of recording and monitoring systems to assist producers demonstrate compliance with sustainable practices. Industry bodies, government departments and other groups are investing in the development of recording and monitoring systems to assist producers demonstrate compliance with sustainable practices. The following extracts provide examples of these: Extract 1: This webpage contains hyperlinks to a vast range of sustainability indicators, data collection templates, decision support tools (see below as an example of indicators available). The use of key performance indicators (KPIs) is a useful tool for monitoring and reporting. Environment and Resource Management Queensland Government; Land Manager s Monitoring Guide ; Australia; html Active links provide land managers with information about how to monitor the resource condition and trend of the particular attribute, and how their management actions influence it. Use of the indicators also enables land managers to reliably communicate what is happening on their property. About indicators explains how the indicators in the guide are structured. Indicator descriptions provides a definition of each indicator. Indicators are included that apply to: ground cover gully erosion hill slope erosion plant available water content saline land soil chemistry soil erosion soil infiltration soil life soil ph soil salinity soil structure wind erosion. 39

40 Activity 13 In previous activities you have selected sustainable procedures that are applicable and useful to your business. Consider how you will monitor, record and report the outcomes of these activities to demonstrate whether they are working for you as you had intended. Complete the following table (grey shaded columns only) with responses to the following: 1) The key performance indicators (KPI) that you will use to measure the success or otherwise of your sustainability policy and procedures (e.g. soil ph of >6 ) 2) How will you monitor progress against this indicator (e.g. annual soil test) 3) How you will record progress against this indicator (e.g. enter results into EXCEL spreadsheet each year and identify trends) KPI How will you monitor the KPI? How will progress be recorded? How will outcomes be reported to key stakeholders? 40

41 Document outcomes, provide feedback to key personnel and stakeholders and modify policies and procedures as required ensuring improvements are made Once outcomes have been assessed, you need to provide feedback to key personnel (e.g. staff) and stakeholders (e.g. customers). How you do this will depend on the complexity of your operation, the tools you have available to you and the cost/ benefit of promoting outcomes. Outcomes may be communicated: Informally, for example, having a simple chat with your customers Formally, via annual reports, web page updates, staff meetings. The following extract is an example of a producer promoting product sustainability via the web. Note how this technique also provides an opportunity to educate consumers about product differentiators that result from sustainable farming practices. Slater Farms; Rainfed Rice ; Australia; Slater Farm: Demeter Certified Biodynamic Bio-dynamic Demeter farming has developed to be one of the most sustainable and successful forms of organic agriculture practiced across the world. Both labels are used to certify high quality nutritional food produced by organic and biodynamic agriculture. Tasty and nutritious, RAINFED RICE is probably the most sustainable rice grown in Australia. No irrigation water is needed to grow this rice which means Australia s critical water resources are not drawn upon. Irrigated rice-paddy rice fields produce enough methane emissions to be a major source of atmospheric concern. Methane is twenty times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2. 41

42 Activity 14 It is now time to review your response to activity 11 and update the table (grey shaded column only) with how you will report outcomes to your key stakeholders. KPI How will you monitor the KPI? How will progress be recorded? How will outcomes be reported to key stakeholders? 42

43 Whilst many producers may feel uncomfortable providing negative feedback, the fact is that doing nothing is the worst possible outcome. Of course monitoring outcomes may not always lead to positive feedback. Often deficiencies or gaps in the system are identified. Whilst many producers may feel uncomfortable providing negative feedback, the fact is that doing nothing is the worst possible outcome. Deficiencies and gaps should be seen in a positive light as actions can be taken to resolve the issues or prevent further damage occurring. In this way, producers can be proud of identifying a problem and taking proactive steps to remedy the situation. For example, Dairy Australia has identified that there is growing pressure from customers (e.g. retailers) to report on the sustainability of products and supply chains and that some dairy farmers are experiencing pressure from the community on the environmental impacts of dairy farms. A gap has been identified The industry does not currently have an evidence-based environmental reporting system to support its claim that it is a responsible user of resources at the pre-farm gate level. Dairy Australia; Pre-farmgate sustainability reporting ; Australia; Natural-resource-management/Measurement/ Performance-indicators/Pre-farmgatesustainability-reporting.aspx Project scope: Undertake stakeholder analysis to determine relevant pre-farmgate sustainability indicators, aiding the development of an industry pre-farmgate sustainability reporting framework. Outcomes/benefits: The key outcome for this project is industry endorsement for a common pre-farmgate sustainability reporting framework. Sustainability is a growing concern for consumers and regulators, and therefore has the capacity to impact on farm production processes. To fill this gap, Dairy Australia is developing a prefarmgate sustainability reporting framework. 43