Farm Sustainability Assessment

Developed by SAI Platform members, their suppliers, farmers, and external stakeholders, the first version of the FSA was released in 2014. Since then, the system has undergone various revisions to ensure it remains a robust, credible and pragmatic industry solution for accelerating the efficient and widespread adoption of sustainable agriculture practices. The current version, FSA 3.0, was released in April 2021. Development continues with the release of the module for regenerative agriculture expected in 2025.

The FSA has enabled over 360,000 farms in 60 countries across the world to assess, improve and verify the sustainable production of 190 cultivated crops. There are over 100 global sustainability schemes benchmarked against the FSA and primary FSA materials are now available in 12 languages.

The Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) is a globally recognised, comprehensive toolset that enables farm groups worldwide to assess, improve and validate on-farm sustainability performance. Through a structured methodology and set of criteria, the FSA evaluates various aspects of sustainability, including environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability, within the context of farm management practices.

As a simple-to-use system that can be applied to any cultivated agricultural crop, anywhere in the world, regardless of farm size, the FSA is flexible and accessible to all at no fee. It can be easily customised to fit individual needs and local conditions while aligning with global market expectations. The programme facilitates supply chain collaboration by encouraging all actors, from farmers to food and drink companies, to work together to demonstrate and continuously improve on-farm social, environmental and business performance. FSA verification, carried out by independent, third-party auditors enables farmers and their value chain partners to communicate about sustainability performance.

The FSA’s benchmarking programme provides a common reference point for farm sustainability schemes, as well as a consistent approach to determine alignment. It enables farmers to streamline their approach when complying with multiple sustainability schemes, reducing the time and expense of multiple assessments and assurances. Furthermore, it helps companies understand multiple sustainability systems through a single lens, fostering resilience, efficiency, and responsible resource management across global agricultural supply chains.