Biodiversity in agriculture is inherently local, shaped by geography, climate, and farming practices. At the same time, it is closely connected to global environmental and market dynamics. Translating global UN Sustainable Development Goals into practical, scalable solutions requires coordinated action across regions and stakeholders.
“Biodiversity in farming is both context and resource. Its protection and enhancement cannot be achieved through a one-size-fits-all approach,ˮ says René Capote, Senior Technical Expert at Agraya. “It requires collaboration that reflects on-farm realities while supporting credible frameworks for progress at scale.ˮ
Over the past four years, Agraya has worked with nearly 100 stakeholder organizations representing production systems across Africa, Europe, and the Americas to develop an approach to biodiversity and environmentally sustainable farming practices that are scalable and cost-effective for producers in the value chains.
With less than five years remaining until the target year for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, global partnerships are more essential than ever. Agrayaʼs work aligns with SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Amid growing climate, environmental, and geopolitical pressures, close to 100 organizations support Agraya as a neutral facilitator to develop standards that support biodiversity-friendly and resilient farming worldwide.
From farm realities to global frameworks
Since biodiversity can look different for every farm, GLOBALG.A.P. certification solutions are designed to avoid rigid requirements. Instead, they apply science-based principles that support flexibility, continuous improvement, and practical implementation. This approach enables producers to adopt and demonstrate sustainability practices without unnecessary complexity, while strengthening long-term farm viability.
Enabling scalable biodiversity action on farms
support this approach, Agraya is finalizing the Environmental Sustainability Solution (ESS), which is planned for market release in 2027. ESS is designed to support the demonstration of environmental sustainability achievements at farm level while remaining adaptable across regions, crops, and farming systems.
The ESS framework integrates content from existing GLOBALG.A.P. solutions, such as the Sustainable Program for Irrigation and Groundwater Use (SPRING) and BioDiversity add-ons, into a single system. It addresses key topics such as biodiversity, environmental footprint, water, and regenerative agriculture through metrics measuring a broad range of factors from soil health to greenhouse gas emissions.
With nearly 18,000 producers currently participating in SPRING and an additional 1,000 producers in BioDiversity, Agraya estimates that around 20,000 producers could transition to ESS in the coming years. This transition is expected to support broader adoption of biodiversity-related practices across agriculture.
The ESS is being developed in close collaboration with Agraya’s multi-stakeholder working group, bringing together expertise from producers, traders, advisory and other service providers, retailers, civil society, and sustainability initiatives worldwide. More information on the working group and its contributors is available here.
“Biodiversity encompasses people, crops, and the many living organisms that support agricultural systems, from pollinators to soil life. It is inherently local, yet globally connected,” René Capote concludes. “Biodiversity can only thrive in the long term through strong, positive synergies and global partnerships. By working collaboratively across borders and sectors, we can implement sustainability frameworks that are globally relevant while remaining locally meaningful.”
