70% of the world’s freshwater resources are used for agriculture. As pressure on this limited resource grows, agricultural supply chains will depend on a sustainable approach to water management. As a result, food system stakeholders are now expected to provide evidence documenting their efforts to manage water risks and promote sustainable practices.
Last year in a pilot project with GLOBALG.A.P., ALDI North, ALDI South and HOFER tested the
SPRING add-on with selected international fruit and vegetables producers. Having performed ‘
hot-spot analyses’ for water-critical fresh produce items such as avocados, bananas or tomatoes,
ALDI had already identified water-related risks producers in their global supply chains. The aim of
the project was to test SPRING as a tool for monitoring and improving water management for farmers.
Currently ALDI is reviewing the results of the trial audits as part of their ongoing sustainable
water strategy.
SPRING incorporates a wide range of criteria to assess sustainable water management on the
farm. These include:
- Legal conformity of water sources and extraction rates
- Monitoring of water consumption
- Impact of producers on sustainable watershed management
- Best practices in water management
- Protection of water sources
- Measures to demonstrate continuous improvement of water management