Welcome

Field to Market

Published

November 23, 2023

This site serves as a supplemental, focused space around the Field to Market biodiversity revision, including drafts, analysis, and public comments. Please see the original press release from Nov 2023.

Public Comment Package

  1. Draft of WILD Index documentation for public comment (released Nov 2023)
    1. PDF version of that draft
    2. Accompanying press release including call for public comments
  2. Supplementary Material A – Pest Management Component Questionnaire
  3. Supplementary Material B – Farming Scenario

Questions asked of reviewers

As you review the proposed WILD Index documentation above, we ask that you respond to the questions that are relevant to your organization:

  1. Does the data collection burden seem feasible for growers?

  2. Does the scientific basis for the metric meet your expectations for rigor?

  3. Do you anticipate that the output of the proposed metric will successfully communicate growers’ efforts to foster biodiversity?

  4. How does your organization use biodiversity as a key performance indicator?

  5. Is there a well-known pest management questionnaire we should adopt rather than using a custom questionnaire?

  6. Will you use the revised Biodiversity Metric?

Brief background

The Biodiversity Metric in the Fieldprint® Platform is currently measured using the Habitat Potential Index, a custom set of algorithms with a qualitative scoring system commissioned by Field to Market in 2013 and adopted as a metric shortly after. Over the years, users expressed the need to expand and enhance the information captured by the metric. Moreover, in 2020, a pest management subgroup within the Metrics Committee was created. The Metrics Committee is an elected, multi-stakeholder governance body comprised of equal representation from Field to Market’s grower, agribusiness, brands and retail, civil society, and affiliate (public sector and academia) membership sectors. The sub-group recommended adopting a more comprehensive set of questions to capture Integrated Pest Management practices. Although the proposed WILD Index is still a qualitative proxy measure of biodiversity, we believe the data captured by the new Index will better meet member needs.

Next Steps

After processing all the comments submitted by member organizations during the public comment period, the Field to Market Metrics Committee has recommended taking the time to address the concerns expressed by members. It is critical to take the time to develop a metric that member organizations will find valuable.

We organized a workshop series with interested stakeholders. The first meeting took place the last week of July.