• About our approach

    The Sustainable Farming Assurance Programme (SFAP) supports companies in the feed and food supply chain to source responsibly produced commodities that are free from deforestation and land-conversion (DCF), are produced in line with EUDR requirements, and have a low carbon footprint.

    SFAP’s solutions are third-party verified, cost-efficient and scalable and apply to all arable crops in all regions of the world. SFAP’s approach is recognized as one of the credible approaches towards conversion-free soy in the Profundo benchmark studies, and is approved under the last version of the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines, the QS Sojaplus module and the corresponding module of GMP+ FRA MI 5.6.

    Good practices in the following domains are guaranteed:

    Legal compliance and good business practice

    All farmers in the SFAP-programme comply with local and national legislation.

     

    Respect of human rights and safeguarding worker safety

    SFAP includes a strong human and labour rights section building up on the ILO Core Conventions.

    Good agricultural practices and environmental protection

    SFAP-farmers implement good practices in relation to soil, water, agrochemicals, crop health, waste and biodiversity.

    Safeguarding community relations

    SFAP includes criteria to support a harmonious relation between farmers and their surrounding communities.

    Zero deforestation and biodiversity protection

    SFAP-farmers are committed to protecting natural reserves and restrain from conversing natural lands in production lands.

  • Solutions


    The Sustainable Farming Assurance Programme offers a solid solution for deforestation and conversion free (DCF) crops, helps demonstrating EUDR compliance and is a credible route to sourcing commodities with a lower carbon footprint.

    SFAP Non-Conversion

    SFAP Non-Conversion guarantees conversion and deforestation-free sourcing with a cut-off date of 1 Jan. 2016 (for HCVA areas the cut-off date is 1 Jan. 2009).

    The farmers certified in the SFAP-programme are protecting the natural reserves on their lands, are committed to preventing any further land conversion and reforest areas where there is the legal obligation to do so.

    The SFAP Non-Conversion module links these farmers to downstream companies via the Book
    and Claim and Area Mass Balance supply chain model.

    - Download Non-Conversion document

    *SFAP has a SAI-FSA 2.1 Bronze-equivalent programme available upon request. This standard includes more criteria in the area of farm management. See the: SAI compliant version.

    EUDR Compliance

    SFAP Non-Conversion is an important instrument in the toolbox for compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).


    The SFAP programme audits legal compliance and deforestation-free production at farmer level and collects polygons and necessary documentation to demonstratedeforestation- free and legal production.

    The next companies in the value chain
    can use this information as input for their segregated supply chain of EUDR
    compliant materials.

  • Impact

    SFAP helps to create meaningful and scalable impact in hotspot areas such as the Brazilian Cerrado, the Amazon and the Argentinean Chaco and Pampa area.

    Impact on farmers

    Farmers appreciate the insights obtained and procedures implemented through the certification process. They achieve better results and experience more control over their farm. In addition, farmers are recognised by third parties such as bank and input suppliers as less-risky and more trustworthy partners. This often results in more favourable financing conditions.

     

    Farmers are rewarded for protecting their natural Cerrado reserves even when they have legal permission to deforest part of their lands.

    Impact on the natural environment

    SFAP wants to be where the risk of deforestationis largest, to create incentives for farmers to work on sustainable
    intensification rather than expansion.

    Thanks to the SFAP Non-Conversion approach, farmers protect the legal reserves on their land and are stimulated
    to accelerate reforestation efforts where there is a legal obligation to do so.

    Impact on companies

    SFAP gives companies downstream the verified assurance that they meet their deforestation and conversion commitments and
    support farmers to produce in a sustainable manner.

    The Area Mass Balance
    supply chain model offers a balanced solution in between Book & Claim and Mass Balance that guarantees that the sustainability impact (proven by means of a certificate) was made in the same region as where the physical goods have
    been acquired.

    SFAP guides companies through the complexity of LCA assessment and offers clear and verified solutions to lowering the CO2 footprint based on a GFLI- approved branded data set.

  • Latest

  • Partners

    The Sustainable Farming Assurance Programme is created and managed by ProAgros. For the identification of farmer groups, the training of the farmers towards certification and for verification ProAgros is working with diverse trusted partners worldwide.

     

    ProAgros

    ProAgros connects end-users committed to sustainable sourcing with farmers who have proven to be producing sustainably. The company is led by Jan Nicolai. Jan Nicolai has over 40 years of experience in the commodities market, as a buyer, trader, arbitrader in trade disputes and transition manager. He has a vast knowledge of the dynamics in the European market, recent development in the area of sustainability and the needs and challenges faced by market parties. Jan Nicolai worked at Nutreco, The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) and is a former board member of RTRS.

    Approved partners for extension and certification support


    ProAgros works with dedicated partners in the production countries to guarantee a strong embedding in the local context.

    Thepartners are responsible for train ing and coaching farmers and farmer groups to
    the SFAP-level.


    In Brazil, ProAgros is glad to work together with CerQuality. CerQuality trains and supports farmer groups inthe Cerrado area to meet the SFAP-requirements.

    In Argentina, ProAgros is glad to work together with SAPGREEN to train and support producers and/or producer groups to meet the SFAP requirements.


    Approved inspection bodies

    SFAP has found a dedicated partner in Control Union. Control Union is a leading independent certification body that has vast experience with sustainability certification, operates in accordance with ISO-procedures and is controlled by an official accreditation body.

    Control Union is the inspection body to audit allpractices on the ground and to verify claims in the area of sustainability, EUDR compliance and CO2-Footprinting.

  • Contact

    If you want to know whether SFAP can also offer a solution for you companies sourcing questions, don’t hesitate to contact us and hear what we can do for you.

    Rijkerswoerdsestraat 17
    6836 AG Arnhem NL
    +31 653242021
    +31 653242021
    JanN@proagros.eu
    Cookie Use
    We use cookies to ensure a smooth browsing experience. By continuing we assume you accept the use of cookies.
    Learn More