2. ZERO HUNGER

ZERO HUNGER

SDG #2 seeks to not only end hunger but also help achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without eradicating extreme hunger and malnutrition. In 2018, there were about 2 billion people who were affected by severe food insecurity, a statistic which has increased over 20% since 2014.9,10

As sustainable agricultural practices have a crucial potential for addressing food scarcity, RTRS supports goal #2 comprehensively, with more than 35 indicators contributing to achieving SDG #2.

SDG TARGETS AND RELATED RTRS INDICATORS

SDG Targets

2.1 By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.

2.3 By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.

RTRS Indicators

RTRS: 2.5.9

RTRS indicator 2.5.9 requires that all employees living on the farm are provided with affordable food. Moreover, potable water is to be supplied to all workers inside the farm.

RTRS: 5.3.1, 5.3.2, 5.3.3

To increase the income of workers in the supply chain, sufficient yield is needed. Practices to maintain and improve soil fertility to sustain agricultural yield are mentioned in the RTRS Principle 5, including monitoring and maintaining of soil quality.

SDG Targets

2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.

2.5 By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.

2.a Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries.

RTRS Indicators

RTRS: 4.2.1, 4.2.5, 4.3.3, 4.3.4, 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.5.3, 4.5.4, 5.1.1, 5.1.4, 5.3.2, 5.3.3, 5.3.4, 5.4.1, 5.4.2, 5.4.3, 5.4.4, 5.4.5, 5.5.1, 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.5, 5.6.1, 5.6.2, 5.7.1, 5.7.2, 5.8.1, 5.9.1, 5.9.3, 5.10.1, 5.11.1, 5.11.2

Fostering sustainable food production is at the heart of RTRS Standard. Through Principles 4 and 5, RTRS requires that all certified soy producers follow an array of agricultural practices centred around environmental responsibility (see the More information box below).

RTRS: 4.5.3, 5.11.1, 5.11.2

RTRS certified producers are required to control the origin of the seeds they use, in order to improve production and prevent introduction of new diseases. Self-propagated seeds may only be used if seed production norms and IP legal requirements are met. Endemic, rare, threatened or endangered species permanently or temporary present at the property are to be protected (4.5.3).

RTRS: 4.2.2, 4.2.3, 4.2.4, 4.2.5

The RTRS contributes to increasing agricultural productive capacity by requiring producers to provide adequate waste storage and recycling solutions (4.2.2, 4.2.4), facilities preventing spills of oils and other pollutants (4.2.3), and residue management plants (4.2.5).

SDG 2: Case study

Title: The experience of smallholder RTRS-certified producers in India

Organisation: Arvind Limited (since 2013); Ish Agritech Private Limited (since 2021); Landmark Agri Exports (in 2022); Mahaveer Udhyog (since 2020); and Noble Ecotech (in 2022)

Location: India

Case: Between 2013 and 2022, almost 50,000 producers in India certified more than 83,450 hectares and 187,500 tons of soy under then RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production.

In India, certified producers are smallholders of 2 to 3 ha on average. RTRS certified soy producers in this country are organized under Group Certification and comply with the 108 mandatory certification indicators applicable worldwide in accordance with RTRS five principles: Legal Compliance and Good Business Practices; Responsible Labour Conditions; Responsible Community Relations; Environmental Responsibility, and Good Agricultural Practices.

Producers assure that certification and specifically the implementation of good agricultural practices significantly improve task efficiency in farm management, which translates into soil protection and better water management, as well as improvement of employee motivation and relationship with neighbors and communities.

More information

RTRS Principle 4 seeks to foster environmental responsibility in soy production. Principle 4 identifies the areas where soy production has the potential to generate significant negative environmental impacts and which is to be addressed accordingly by RTRS certified producers, including through: no intentional burning on property (4.2.1), preparing a residue management plan (4.2.5), monitoring soil quality (4.3.3), carbon sequestration (4.3.4), identifying the areas which should not be cleared or converted (4.4.1), protection of rare, threatened or endangered species (4.5.3), and conservation activities to promote wildlife and restoration of native vegetation (4.5.4). RTRS Principle 5 focuses on good agricultural practices, helping ensure sustainable and resilient food production. Producers are required to introduce a number of solutions to increase productivity and production, including irrigation (5.1.4), crop rotation (5.3.4), reducing use of potentially harmful phytosanitary and agrochemical products (5.4.2, 5.4.3, 5.4.4, 5.5.1, 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.6.1, 5.9.1 and 5.9.2). In addition, pests, diseases, weeds and natural predators are to be monitored (5.4.5) and usage of fertilizers and biological control agents is to be according to professional recommendations (5.5.5). Seeds are to be purchased from reliable sources (5.11.1) and the use of self-propagated seeds is to follow legal requirements regarding intellectual property rights (5.11.2).