Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1432253
means that almond-relevant practices are being asked about rather than questions developed for agriculture more broadly, which often do not make sense as asked in the almond context. Of the 2020 crop year orchards that benchmarked to one of SAI's medal levels, 7% met the requirements for Bronze, 82% for Silver and 11% for Gold. Handlers, in turn, can share this information with their customers, who use it to address questions from consumers. This allows brands to promote the benefits of almonds and compete in markets where consumers care about sustainability. "Benchmarking to SAI helps almond handlers meet one of the global standards used by companies to determine if their suppliers meet their specifications for how a product is produced, from water and pesticide use to worker treatment and other social issues," explained Julie Adams, vice president of Global, Technical and Regulatory Affairs at the Almond Board. Telling a Broader Story Documenting practices, such as the rate of adoption of microirrigation, has also helped the industry address questions from regulators, media, and customers during the drought, providing proof that almond growers have become more efficient with water use. Another example is documenting practices to protect pollinators. The number of orchards eligible for Bee Friendly Farming certification from Pollinator Partnership grew 2206% in 2020. "CASP is helping California almond growers get credit for what they have been doing for generations – growing a healthy, sustainable crop that is supporting communities throughout the state," said Gabriele Ludwig, PhD, director of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs at the Almond Board. Direct Grower Benefits CASP is a self-assessment that helps individual growers document practices across their operation. Through the CASP online portal, growers complete nine self-assessment modules, learn about alternative practices, and can utilize free decision support tools, while meeting regulatory requirements and helping the industry show how almond growers farm efficiently and responsibly. There is also a self-assessment module for handlers, as they are similarly asked about practices in their operations by the supply chain. Completing CASP modules allows growers to: compare your practices to the almond industry's statewide average, and provide data that the Almond Board can use in reputation management. In addition, at the CASP website, growers can: calculate your orchard's irrigation schedules, and calculate your crop's nitrogen needs at different times in the growing season, which automatically meets Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program reporting requirements. "The CASP self-assessment was developed with the help of almond growers and committee members from the start, from determining to go the self-assessment route back in 2008, to developing the content of the modules, and vetting the effort to benchmark with SAI," said Ludwig. "It was developed by the industry, for the industry with the idea that the industry has a better sense of what practices are relevant to the growing of almonds in California." Continuous Improvement In addition to being able to take credit for current practices, CASP was also set up to encourage continuous improvement – at both the individual grower and industry levels. "A key purpose of CASP is also educational, that is to help growers and others identify areas of possible improvement in their operations by taking the time to reflect on the sum of their practices," explained Ludwig. "The biggest challenge has been getting growers to take the time to record what they are doing. Yet, by writing it down and coming back every 2-3 years, provides a record of how almond growing is changing over time. It's hard to measure progress over time if you don't document your practices." In an effort to ensure CASP continues to be a valuable resource for growers and handlers in the future, ABC works to continuously improve the user experience for growers and handlers. The assessment modules, completed on paper in the early days of the program, were converted to the current online system starting in 2013, and are now undergoing a thorough review to streamline questions and make the system simpler to navigate. Efforts are also underway to see if there are other opportunities for benchmarking, as well as to leverage data in CASP to satisfy evolving regulatory requirements. "We are working to balance the need to gather information on industry best practices with the convenience of the grower," said Devol. "We want to make it easier to use without diminishing the value of the information for individual growers, handlers, and the industry." The CASP self-assessment modules are available online at https://www. sustainablealmondgrowing.org/. Almond Board of California 18