Our membership comprises farmer organisations, agribusinesses, food & beverage companies, retailers, consultancies, and NGOs from around the world, working together to create positive change.
Our partnerships provide mutual benefits between each organisation, and add value to the members of the Alliance and our wider users of the Tool. We expect a steady increase in partnerships in the medium term, and here we list strategic partners we are already working with.
As one of the three original intellectual property owners of the Cool Farm Tool (along with Unilever and the University of Aberdeen) before passing this property on to the Cool Farm Alliance and continuing to shepherd its development, the Sustainable Food Lab has both in-depth knowledge of the calculation methods, algorithms, data and software functionality of the Cool Farm Tool and extensive experience using the tool in agricultural climate change mitigation projects around the world. The Sustainable Food Lab has led or supported Cool Farm Tool projects in numerous crops and countries and a breadth of organizations (see list below).
While creating baselines and using the tool to track improvement over time, our approach focuses on supply chain engagement and trust building, so the farmers and other actors in the chain feel supported with social capital as well as technical expertise, to find GHG reduction pathways on their farms.
The Sustainable Food Lab is happy to offer its services in implementing Cool Farm Tool projects in supply chains. We know that measurement and relationship building is only the beginning when it comes to working with farmers to find practical and pragmatic opportunities for improvement.
Countries: U.S., India, Paraguay, Kenya, Canada, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Ghana, United Kingdom.
Products: tomatoes, lettuce, sugar, coffee, dry beans, broccoli, potatoes, cotton, oats, eggs, cocoa
Organizations: Unilever, Costco, Marks and Spencer, Stonyfield, Ecom, Sysco, Heinz, GIZ, Pulse Canada, Catholic Relief Services
MyEasyFarm supports stakeholders in the agricultural supply chain, from farmers to agri-food groups, in their agroecological transition through its data collection, calculation, and reporting platform, promoting Regenerative and Low Carbon Agriculture.
Its mission is to guide the agricultural world in its agroecological transition through two advanced digital solutions:
MyEasyCarbon is also a collaborative platform for the AgriFood Supply Chain from agrifood companies to cooperatives and farmers. MyEasyCarbon calculates and monitors Carbon indicators and crop premiums and embeds several Soil Carbon sequestration or GhG emission calculators such CFT, Simeos-AMG and more. MyEasyCarbon uses Cool Farm Tool as a calculator for CO2 emissions and aggregates farm data to agrifood companies.MyEasyFarm is a French AgTech startup created in 2017, specializing in Regenerative Agriculture and Precision Farming digital platforms. MyEasyFarm is based in VillagebyCA Reims and has offices in Italy, Netherlands, Germany and Brazil. The MyEasyFarm team is made up of 25 people from engineering schools in Agriculture / Agronomy and IT. MyEasyFarm is a member of the Cool Farm Alliance since 2022.
Contact: Guillaume Vial gvial@myeasyfarm.com
www.myeasycarbon.com
Soil & More International (S&M) is a consulting firm, specialized in soil fertility advisory services as well as sustainability assessment in the agriculture and food sector.
Since 2010, S&M has been involved in the development and implementation of the Cool Farm Tool (CFT). Apart from providing research and practical experience based input for the development of the CFT models, S&M was engaged in road-testing and implementing the tool at scale amongst several hundred small-, medium- and large-scale farms in Europe and worldwide. S&M has practical experience using the CFT in cereals, fruit and vegetables, coffee, cocoa, tea, palm as well as dairy and mixed systems.
In order to further spread and promote the CFT, S&M conducted various training covering both the theoretical background of the CFT as well as concrete implementation scenarios.
Amongst others, S&M has delivered CFT assessments with the following customers and partners: Alnatura, COFCO, DEG/KfW, Dole, ECOM, EOSTA, Fyffes, Hivos, Lebensbaum, Marks & Spencer, Ritter Sport, Swedish Standards Institute, Tesco, Total Produce, TÜV.
S&M is able to provide both assistance in implementation as well as capacity building regarding the CFT in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, as well selected services in Arabic.
Contact: Tobias Bandel tobias.bandel@soilandmore.com
www.soilandmore.com
As the Cool Farm Alliance’s preferred software developer, and a consulting partner, Anthesis uniquely combines advisory services with deep technical expertise. We have a global reach with more than a dozen offices worldwide and a long history of providing consulting to the retail, food and drink sectors. We focus on delivering business value through sustainability by maximising revenues, reducing costs, mitigating value chain risk and enhancing reputation.
Anthesis has been working with the Cool Farm Alliance since they were founded a decade ago. We have contributed to the visioning behind the Cool Farm Tool (CFT), to enable millions of growers globally to make more informed on-farm decisions that reduce their environmental impact. Specifically, Anthesis has worked with agronomists, farmers, agricultural suppliers and software partners to design, build and develop, the online CFT from specification to launch. We have designed and delivered CFT training and provided on-going user support. We continue to work with the Cool Farm Alliance to improve and expand the CFT (most recently to measure biodiversity, waste and water impacts) and with Alliance members to help integrate the CFT with the current data management systems and roll out the CFT across their supply chain.
Contact: Simon Davis simon.davis@anthesisgroup.com
www.anthesisgroup.com
CLM’s expertise is rooted in professional practice: our advisors work with corporate supply chain managers but also with farmers in the field.
CLM is an independent consultancy based in the Netherlands, specialized in sustainable food and farming. We work for governments, farmers’ organisations, environmental NGOs and companies in the food chain such as Heineken, Unilever, Ben&Jerry, Ahold and McCain. We have a 30-year track record in sustainability assessment at farm level: nutrient balances, carbon footprint, pesticide impact and biodiversity. We have used this expertise in projects for SAI-Platform since 2010, and have helped build the CFT Biodiversity module.
Possible services in support of the CFT are:
– Practical advice about on-farm measures that help improve biodiversity, reduce water use or reduce greenhouse gas emissions – Webinars or training sessions for farmers and advisors about using the CFT
– Communication materials aimed at farmers and advisors
– Advice on sustainability reporting, using CFT results
– Development of additional modules for the CFT on biodiversity, nutrient balance, soil quality or pesticides
All CLM advisors speak Dutch and English; some can also work in German, French, Spanish or Portuguese.
Contact: Edo Dijkman edijkman@clm.nl
www.clm.nl
3Keel is a specialist agri-food consultancy based in Oxford, UK. The team have backgrounds in life cycle analysis and greenhouse gas accounting, with particular emphasis on agriculture and food supply chains. This analytical capability is combined with practical knowledge of European farming, land management, tropical commodity crops, and forestry to offer a unique skill set for our clients.
As an organisation, 3Keel actively seeks diverse clients, ranging from global multinationals through to locally-based NGOs. Reflecting this, 3Keel team members have a long history of supporting and working with the Cool Farm Tool, including designing and delivering out measurement programmes with diverse produce suppliers based in the UK and overseas.
Contact: Richard Sheane richard.sheane@3keel.com
www.3keel.com
Soil Capital is an independent agronomy firm committed to enabling 1 million hectares of farmland to transition to more profitable, regenerative agriculture by 2025.
Active throughout Europe and in Latin America, Soil Capital has launched a digital decision-support and reward platform for regenerative transitions: mySoilCapital. It enables farmers to understand where opportunities exist for them to improve the economic and environmental performance of their farm, hand-in-hand. Then, via Soil Capital Carbon, the first multinational carbon payment programme in Europe, they can earn new revenue via payments for improving their climate impact. This platform is purchased directly by farmers and used also by a wide range of companies to support farmer practice change in their supply chain.
Underpinning the development of this platform is Soil Capital’s extensive hands-on experience as managers of, and advisors to, large-scale farm operations under transition to regenerative agriculture. Since 2013, the team has managed or advised close to 200,000 hectares across five continents, spanning broadacre arable systems, permanent fruit crops and livestock operations.
Contacts: Andrew Voysey – a.voysey@soilcapital.com
Viresco Solutions Inc. is a consulting firm that helps our clients strategically navigate the complex and evolving world of sustainability. We are leading experts in developing science-based metrics and solutions that enhance our clients’ social license to operate. We focus our work at the intersection of agriculture, waste, bioenergy, greenhouse gases and sustainable supply chains.
Viresco is excited to bring our North American perspective and agronomic and GHG quantification expertise to the CFA. We are especially focused on developing the CFT for greater application in North America, including ensuring a good fit with North American crop and livestock production systems, innovative BMPs and technologies, and increased detail and geographic resolution of quantification approaches.
Our main lines of work are:
Strategy – Viresco is experienced in strategy development as well as the tools essential to measure, monitor and verify progress. We assist with the evaluation or comparison of sustainability measurement/metrics, reporting and verification systems, tools, procedures, and methods. We deliver robust strategies, including sustainability and/or carbon management strategies, for a variety of organizations consistent with financial, environmental, and social sustainability goals.
Policy – Viresco supports regulators, producers, generators and users in navigating environmental markets. Viresco understands the nuances of regulatory market based mechanisms and has contributed in the design of Alberta’s carbon offset system, one of the first economy-wide systems established in North America (ca 2007). Our staff were involved in designing the protocol development process, project guidance, helping to seed the market with 15 agricultural protocols, and developing MRV infrastructure.
Quantification – Quantification, based on sound science and best available information, is key to ensuring credibility. Viresco develops science-based methodologies for measuring the results of sustainability projects and programs in line with local, national and international policies, standards and guidelines. Viresco is committed to working collaboratively and believes that sharing expertise and knowledge is essential to improving the sustainability of our agricultural systems and supply-chains.
Envitecpolis Ltd. is a Finnish company and it was founded in 2008 and provides consultancy services for biogas investments and energy- and material efficiency. The customers of Envitecpolis come from the entire food chain: farms, food industry, catering and foodservice and organic waste operators.
In all our services we produce evidence based information to support the strategic decision making process of our customers. To farms we make cost accounting and greenhouse gas emissions calculations. We also plan and assess the techno-economic feasibility of biogas plants. We provide consultancy to the investment planning phase of biogas plants and offer the needed support to take the next crucial steps forward in your biogas investment. To the food industry and food service industry we offer our consultancy to help reduce wasted resources ia. with Material Flow Cost Accounting, MFCA. The mission of Envitecpolis is to improve the economic viability and competitiveness of customers.
In 2002 Nestlé, Unilever and Danone created the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, a non-profit organization to facilitate sharing, at precompetitive level, of knowledge and best practices to support the development and implementation of sustainable agriculture practices involving stakeholders throughout the food value chain.
SAI Platform today counts over 80 members, which actively share the same view on sustainable agriculture seen as “the efficient production of safe, high quality agricultural products, in a way that protects and improves the natural environment, the social and economic conditions of farmers, their employees and local communities, and safeguards the health and welfare of all farmed species”. Members also jointly work on achieving SAI Platform’s 2020 Vision.
SAI Platform develops (or co-develops) tools and guidance to support global and local sustainable sourcing and agriculture practices. Examples of recently developed resources include: Practitioner’s Guide for Sustainable Sourcing; recommendations for Sustainability Performance Assessment (SPA); and the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA).
The Cool Farm Alliance and SAI Platform recognise the alignment of their missions, and the complementary ways of working to promote more sustainable agriculture. This partnership represents a commitment to convert this common interests into integrated services and tools, which will best serve the market and simplify the work and questions asked of farmers. To this end, the first project is the development of the Cool Farm Tool to support metrics collection as part of SAI’s Farm Sustainability Assessment.
“The time is now right for concrete steps for Cool Farm and SAI to work closely together.”
– Peter Erik Ywema, SAI Platform General Manager
The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) is a global organization transforming the consumer goods industry to deliver more sustainable consumer products. Our members and partners include manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, service providers, NGOs, civil society organizations, governmental agencies and academics. Each member brings valuable perspectives and expertise. TSC convenes our diverse stakeholders to work collaboratively to build science-based decision tools and solutions that address sustainability issues that are materially important throughout a product’s supply chain and lifecycle. TSC also offers a portfolio of services to help drive effective implementation.
“By working together with the Cool Farm Alliance, we can streamline the reporting experience for growers and food manufacturers, making it easier to communicate sustainability data.”
– Dr. Christy Slay, Director of Research, The Sustainability Consortium
Established in 2015, Climate-smart Agriculture (CSA) Booster is a flagship programme of Climate-KIC’s Sustainable Land Use theme. It is Europe’s leading knowledge and innovation hub catalysing the transition to climate-smart agriculture, food and land use. CSA Booster’s collaborative network of partners accelerate the adoption and scaling of low-carbon (“climate-smart”) technologies and solutions across the Europe’s €133bn agricultural sector to boost the productivity and resilience of our agriculture and food systems and drive global sustainable development.
“Climate-KIC is proud to support the Cool Farm Alliance through its Climate-smart Agriculture Booster to enable millions of farmers take more informed farm-level decisions to cut their environmental impact and make their businesses more resilient.”
– Pan Pan, Director, Climate-smart Agriculture Booster | Deputy Director, Sustainable Land Use, Climate-KIC
EISA was founded in May 2001 with the aim of developing and promoting sustainable farming systems, which are an essential element of sustainable development. The association consists of full members, farmer groups working on sustainable development in agriculture from six European countries, and associate members from the agri-food chain. EISA promotes the wholistic concept of Integrated Farm Management as guidelines for sustainable development of agriculture. EISA’s main activity is the promotion of economically viable, sustainable farming systems in Europe in particular via a Brussels representation.
A mutual recognition of EISA being the main European advocacy agency for sustainable agriculture and the CFA for for sustainable agriculture metrics will strengthen existing partnerships with important stakeholder groups including farmer unions, food and beverage companies, and the fertilizer and crop protection industries.
“EISA’s objective is increasing the adoption of Integrated Farm Management. Sustainability metrics from the Cool Farm Tool will help us to support our partners to achieve this aim.”
– Martijn Buijsse | Policy Officer
Established in 1495, the University of Aberdeen is the fifth oldest in the UK and is consistently ranked in the top 1% of the world’s universities. Renowned for its world-leading research in health, energy, food and nutrition and environmental and biological sciences, 76% of research was judged ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ through the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014). With a community of students and staff covering 120 nationalities, the University of Aberdeen is renowned for its international outlook, and in 2016 was ranked by Times Higher Education in the top 40 of the world’s 200 ‘most international universities’, making it the second highest Scottish university to be included in the rankings.
Our environmental modelling group has world leading expertise in research on the soil carbon and nitrogen cycles. Our work involves modelling of the soil carbon and nitrogen cycles and developing tools for use by land managers and policy makers to reduce negative environmental impacts from agriculture.
The University of Aberdeen has led the development of the greenhouse gas calculator in the Cool Farm Tool since its inception in 2008.
The University of Oxford is a complex and stimulating organisation, which enjoys an international reputation as a world-class centre of excellence in research and teaching. It employs over 11,000 staff and has a student population of over 22,000. Oxford’s researchers engage with academic, commercial and cultural partners across the world to stimulate high-quality research and enable innovation through a broad range of social, policy and economic impacts. Oxford is a collegiate university, consisting of the central University and colleges. The central University is composed of academic departments and research centres, administrative departments, libraries and museums. The 38 colleges are self-governing and financially independent institutions, which are related to the central University in a federal system.
Cambridge University has a Strategic Research Initiative on Global Food Security. This aims to deliver research that contributes to ensuring affordable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for all, whilst maintaining sufficient natural capital to do so sustainably. Tackling this complex challenge requires collaboration across disciplines including natural and social sciences, engineering and the humanities.
Within the University Zoology Department, the Conservation Science Group focuses on two broad questions: what are the key threats to wild nature? And, what are the main actions needed to reverse its decline? One of the group’s main aims is to ensure that conservation and land management decisions are informed by scientific evidence.
Members of the Conservation Science Research Theme have been working with the Cool Farm Alliance to incorporate scientific evidence from the Conservation Evidence database into the land management decisions made by growers. Dr. Lynn Dicks, a Lecturer in Animal Ecology in the Department of Zoology, has led development of the Cool Farm Biodiversity Tool since its inception. The tool uses a combination of expert knowledge and rigorous evidence review and assessment methods developed at Cambridge, to select and score farm management actions for biodiversity.
The University of Cambridge leads development of the Cool Farm Biodiversity Tool, ensuring it uses the best available scientific knowledge, and building new versions for other parts of the world. Mediterranean, tropical forest and temperature grassland are immediate priorities.
The GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences is the national research Centre for earth sciences. It belongs to the Helmholtz Association with its 18 research institutes focusing on fields from space to health to earth and environment. The main research focus of GFZ is the geosphere and scientists work on geo-archives, geodesy, the physics and chemistry of the earth, earth materials as well as geo-technology. We develop a profound understanding of systems and processes of the solid earth together with strategies and options for action to address global change and its regional impacts, to understand natural hazards and to minimize associated risks, as well as to assess the human impact on system earth.
Furthermore, research is also looking into the interactions between geosphere, biosphere and atmosphere by investigating greenhouse gas emissions over natural landscapes, planning and maintaining agricultural testbeds for satellites missions or analyzing water movement in areas dominated by agriculture and forestry.
Both the section of hydrology and the section of remote sensing are actively involved in the development of the Cool Farm Tool. Our key contribution is the development of the water metrics together with partners of the CFA since 2014.
Wageningen University & Research is a collaboration between Wageningen University and the Wageningen Research foundation. Its mission is ‘To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’. A staff of 6,500 and 10,000 students from over 100 countries work everywhere around the world in the domain of healthy food and living environment for governments and the business community-at-large. The strength of Wageningen University & Research lies in its ability to join the forces of specialised research institutes and the university.
One of the research institutes is Wageningen Environmental Research (Alterra), which is the leading research institute for our green living environment. It offers a combination of practical, innovative and interdisciplinary scientific research across many disciplines related to the green world around us and the sustainable use of our living environment. Wageningen researchers are actively involved in further development and application of the Cool Farm Tool.
Currently, Wageningen is leading the development of an updated module for the dairy and other livestock sectors in collaboration with stakeholders from the Cool Farm Alliance.
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