INDUSTRY NEWS
Key sustainability issues identified
for Australian horticulture By Hort Innovation
New research for Hort Innovation has identified the sustainability topics that are most important to people interested in Australian horticulture, from growers through to consumers and communities. Having ethical and resilient practices, supporting healthy landscapes and meetall top the list. The work and its findings are the foundation for the development of the Horticulture Sustainability Framework, said Hort Innovation’s General Manager of Data & Extension, Dr Anthony Kachenko. When completed, the framework is going to be a tool to help the horticulture sector better communicate its sustainable, ethical and safe farming practice stories with stakeholders, ranging from shoppers to investors. “For the initial research, we investigated the topics that matter most to those involved in and those interested in the sector,�
Dr Kachenko said. “We worked through documents from stakeholders across our supply chain, and invited comment through an online survey.� This identified 21 important topics across six themes: ‘Vibrant, ethical, resilient businesses and employment’; ‘Nutritious, quality, safe food’; ‘Healthy landscapes’; ‘Thriving communities’; ‘Careful use of inputs’; and ‘Climate and energy’. Importantly, the research shows that topics important to horticulture’s external stakeholders are very similar to those that the horticulture sector itself most cares about.
VIBRANTT, ETHICAL , RESILIENT BUSINESSSES AND EMPLO YMENT
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NUTRITI OUS , QU ALITY, SAFE FOOD
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HEALLTTHYY LANDSCAPES
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THRIVINNG COMMUNITIES
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CAREFULL USE OF INPUTS
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CLIMATEE AND ENERGY
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GROUNDSWELL OCTOBER 2020
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