55th Meeting of the Expert Panel on Social, Environmental and Economic Performance of Cotton Production – SEEP
Tuesday, 21 November 2023 7:00 am ET
Virtual – Teams
Members:
Ms. Elke Hortmeyer, EU
Mr. Leon Picon, Turkey
Mr. Jens Soth, EU
Mr. Ali Farman, Pakistan
Dr. Ryan Kurtz, USA
Mr. Fábio Carneiro, Brazil
Dr. Marcelo Paytas, Argentina
ICAC Secretariat:
Ms. Lorena Ruiz, Economist
Observer:
Dr. Kater Hake, USA
Introduction and Adoption of the Agenda
ICAC economist Lorena Ruiz initiated the meeting by welcoming delegates and thanking Dr. Kater Hake for presenting key points from the regenerative agriculture draft report. Ms. Ruiz stated the report, funded by the ICAC, was a response to SEEP members’ recommendation to create a framework that illustrates how collective efforts can contribute to a more regenerative agricultural system. The agenda was then formally adopted by the members present.
- Regenerative Agriculture Draft Report
Ms. Ruiz gave the floor to Dr. Kater Hake and asked him to provide a brief summary of the main findings of the draft report. Dr Hake shared his process of compiling a list of regenerative practices and differentiating between intended outcomes and actual grower practices. He emphasized the importance of considering what growers could feasibly implement. Dr. Kater highlighted that his analysis was based on his experience working in 15 countries, and he divided the production into 12 separate sections based on factors such as farm size, mechanization, access to irrigation, and access to livestock. A list of 22 different regenerative practices was discussed, each evaluated from a feasibility standpoint. It was pointed out that the implications, risks, and unintended consequences of these practices, as well as the necessary changes, were significant points of consideration. He also introduced a four-scale feasibility of the adoption rating system.
Dr. Hake noted that his analysis was subjective and may be subject to further discussion and revisions. The main intent was to stimulate discussion on the feasibility, implications, and risks of agricultural practices for diverse production systems worldwide.
Discussion and Comments from Participants
The members were encouraged to share their thoughts on moving the document forward, including any missing elements or areas that needed further detail or explanation.
Mr. James Soth raised a comment about reaching a consensus on the report. He reminded the group about their prior procedures for handling situations where full consensus wasn’t reached. He suggested one option: presenting the paper as still under discussion and inviting ICAC members to contribute their questions and potential additions.
Ms. Elke Hortmeyer raised a question about the potential for the report’s findings to be used as legal advice for ICAC member countries, brands, and standards. Ms. Ruiz from the ICAC clarified that while they couldn’t make the report’s recommendations mandatory, the report could stimulate discussions in other ICAC committees.
Mr. Fabio Carneiro raised a question about the role of technology and precision agriculture in improving regenerative practices and collecting data. He suggested it could be a significant point to consider.
Dr. Ryan Kurtz suggested adding citations to the report to strengthen it if it is intended to be external. He also asked for clarification about a section of the Excel spreadsheet that included journal article citation percentages and practitioner citation percentages. Dr. Hake confirmed that these were two additional components that needed to be worked on and agreed to include references and citations to the report.
Dr. Marcelo Paytas shared his experiences of working on regenerative practices with grain farmers in Argentina. He suggested that such practices might also be feasible for small cotton farmers.
Mr. Leon Picon mentioned that despite not being an agronomist, he appreciated the comprehensive nature of the draft report. He suggested that the report could help standardize the understanding and application of regenerative agriculture within the cotton industry. He also proposed it’s the right time for the SEEP to raise this subject for policymakers, considering the potential need for regulation in different parts of the world. He suggested that the report could benefit from a set of suggestions or proposals for ICAC members on how to proceed with regenerative agriculture, given the lack of a standard definition and varied interpretations of the concept.
Mr. Jens Soth agreed with the idea of dividing the document into two components: the current discussion and a section for proactive suggestions from members. He emphasized that it would not be problematic to communicate that the document was a work in progress. He also mentioned a study he had commissioned to compare all regenerative standards with an accreditation system, which could provide additional credibility.
Seep members discussed the role of ICAC in recommending and providing definitions of regenerative agriculture. They agreed that ICAC is in a unique position to provide such information and should not solely rely on standards from other organizations. Members acknowledged the importance of delivering the information in a manner that is understandable to ICAC delegates from different countries, considering their varying levels of familiarity with such practices. They agreed that rushing to deliver a final document for the upcoming PM meeting is unnecessary. They expressed the intention to provide a draft for discussion, with the final product to come in the future. It also discussed the objective of the report and how it should inform whether to include regenerative agriculture in the ICAC multi-year agenda.
Next Steps:
Dr. Kater will provide a revised version of the report that includes the benefits of regenerative agriculture. Citations and references will be included after the PM in India.
There was unanimous agreement among SEEP members regarding the crucial need for an introductory section in the report. This introduction is intended to explain the report’s purpose and provide context to the ongoing discussions about regenerative agriculture. However, the objective of crafting this comprehensive introduction within the challenging timeframe of the next ten days was acknowledged.
Ms. Lorena Ruiz will be engaging in discussions with Alan Williams, the chair of SEEP, to review and address the comments and recommendations made by the panel members.
The distribution of the meeting minutes and the revised version of the report is scheduled for the week commencing on 27 November.
Other matters
Ms. Lorena Ruiz thanked all the members for their participation and invaluable input. The meeting was officially adjourned at 8:00 am Eastern Time (ET).