- Working Group on Cereals
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Cereals
Cereals
constitute staple food for a majority of countries and their people worldwide.
According to FAO, cereals represent about 50% of total calories available
for human consumption - almost 40% in developed countries and 60% in developing
countries. Cereals production and consumption have expanded enormously in
the past three decades, paralleling the growth in the world's population.
Their world harvest almost doubled between 1968 and 1998, from 1161 to 2054
million tonnes. This increase was notably due to a combination of improved
grain varieties as well as a greater fertiliser and pesticide use and irrigation.
Today more than ever, cereals production systems around the world raise a number of economic, social and environmental concerns. The goal of SAI Platform’s working group on cereals is to encourage the development of sustainable agricultural practices for cereal production. In this aim, it focuses on the European level at first, and will enlarge its scope to other regions of the world later on. Current work covers wheat, durum, barley, oats, rye, maize, sorghum and rice.
SAI Platform Working Group on Cereals was launched in February 20, 2003. Shortly after its creation, the group held a meeting with producers and industry representatives aimed at exchanging views and concerns about cereal production, and at identifying ways to further promote its economic, social and environmental sustainability. Based on these discussions, principles and practices for the sustainable production of cereals were drafted. They were reviewed in 2004 by representatives from a wide range of stakeholder groups, including producer associations, sector associations, retailers, input provider associations as well as academies and the agricultural delegation of the European Union.
The latest version of the principles and practices for sustainable cereal production is now available.
The Working Group is now in the process of exploring equivalencies between these principles and practices and other existing best practices schemes.
Groupe Danone, Nestlé and McDonald's are SAI Platform's active members of the Working Group on Cereals. Jean-Pierre Rennaud, Groupe Danone, is the Working Group's Chairman.