Engaging Producers in NISA

NISA Rules of Engagement

The National Initiative for Sustainable Agriculture (NISA) is a federation of producers and their organizations that works to harmonize reasonable sustainable agriculture assessments behind the farmgate with supply chain expectations. This simple checklist describes the process and requirements for producer-led, research-based sustainability programs to become affiliated with NISA.

NISA-affiliated programs:

• Agree to follow the NISA Guiding Principles. While these guiding principles aren’t overly cumbersome, they identify a commitment to the producer-led, research-based orientation that will fulfill the NISA Business Model.
  • Toolbox:
    • NISA Guiding Principles
    • NISA Business Model 

• Commit to demonstrating improvement over time against the appropriate sustainability outcomes. It is not expected that a producer community would address all of the outcomes outlined in the Expected Outcomes document, but that they would prioritize outcomes where advancements could be demonstrated and set reasonable goals that could be communicated to the supply chain.
  • Toolbox:
    • NISA Expected Outcomes

• Will develop and implement a producer-level assessment program that reasonably captures advancements in sustainability outcomes and is verifiable. 
  • Toolbox:
    • NISA Sustainability Assessment Distance Education School
    • NISA Whole Farm Matrix 
    • NISA Assessment Tool Online Warehouse

• Will submit a semi-annual progress report to the NISA Producer Board that can be used to communicate producer advancements to the supply chain.
  • Toolbox:
    • NISA Progress Report template*
    • NISA US Farm Sustainability
    • NISA Frontiers of Sustainability Analysis
    • NISA social media strategy and outlets*

• Will become an annual NISA sponsor, with a voting seat on the NISA Producer Board.
  • NISA Sponsorship Agreement

 *Under development as of February 2013.