Geneva, 5 March 2020: Today, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) launched a new report to help companies set targets for Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and successfully measure their progress.
Smarter metrics for climate change and agriculture: Business guidance for target-setting across productivity, resilience and mitigation (Smarter Metrics Guide) provides guidance on the three pillars of CSA – productivity, resilience and mitigation – underpinning WBCSD’s Agriculture for 1.5 workstream in support of shifting the agriculture sector from a source of emissions into a net carbon sink.
Companies operating in the food and agricultural sector often lack the data necessary to track corporate progress on CSA across the sector and along the value chain. Multiple methodologies for climate change target setting result in companies facing a complex, often fragmented landscape, stifling progress in setting CSA targets.
While many companies are adopting CSA targets and solutions, business along the entire value chain – including producers and traders, input suppliers, brand and retailers, as well as finance providers – must measure progress based on consistent, transparent metrics and targets.
The Smarter Metrics Guide has been developed to help companies get started on this journey. The first section of the guide introduces trends in target-setting and case studies to support companies in navigating the target-setting landscape and learn from best practices in the sector. The second section provides practical guidance for companies with detailed advice and steps for embarking on CSA target-setting according to where your company sits in the agricultural value chain. The third provides a rich resource of additional materials, definitions and actions.
The guide was collaboratively produced by WBCSD, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and Ceres.
Tony Siantonas, Director, Climate Smart Agriculture, WBCSD, states: “This guide is an essential resource for companies to adopt CSA, providing both an overview of industry trends, and practical guidance to help businesses on the journey of setting and disclosing targets.”
Lini Wollenberg, Ph.D., Flagship Leader, Low Emissions Development, CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) states: “Harmonized metrics will enable aggregating results and comparing impacts across companies and sectors. This will be especially useful in tracking progress in adaptation, where diverse metrics have hampered comparability in the past.”
