OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains

Enterprises involved in agricultural supply chains can create employment, raise labour standards and bring the technology to increase agricultural production or reduce pollution. But their activities can also contribute to food insecurity by leading to the eviction of local communities from their lands. Child labour and abuses of migrant workers and women are regularly reported. The production of some agricultural commodities leads to soil degradation, water resource depletion and deforestation.

OECD-FAO pilot project on the implementation of the OECD-FAO Guidance

To support the practical application of the OECD-FAO Guidance, in early 2018 the OECD and FAO launched an implementation pilot with over thirty companies and industry initiatives.

The baseline survey was conducted in 2018 to assess how companies and industry initiatives are implementing the OECD-FAO Guidance and other related international standards. The survey findings are presented in the baseline report.

Read the baseline report

The second survey was carried out in 2019 to understand the progresss made by companies in implementing the recommendations of the OECD-FAO Guidance. The final report presents the key findings of the pilot. It summarises the lessons learned, good practices and challenges in implementing supply chain due diligence identified by pilot participants. It also sets out recommendations and next steps for companies and policymakers to promote the uptake of the OECD-FAO Guidance recommendations in the agricultural sector.

Read the final report on the implementation of the OECD-FAO Guidance

Consult the available tools and resources to implement due diligence

In October 2019, the multi-stakeholder roundtable brought together policy makers, business, civil society and academia in Paris. Drawing from the findings and lessons learned during this pilot project, suggested activities to further promote the uptake of the OECD-FAO Guidance were discussed.

Consult the roundtable agenda｜FR

Read the news release｜FR

Brochure: Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains and the Sustainable Development Goals

In the course of the OECD-FAO pilot project implementation in 2018-19, a subset of pilot participants formed an informal working group to develop a practical communications tool which illustrates how businesses can use their due diligence process to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Download the brochure

About the OECD-FAO Guidance

The OECD-FAO Guidance helps enterprises observe standards of responsible business conduct to ensure that their operations do not lead to adverse impacts and contribute to sustainable development. The OECD-FAO Guidance targets domestic and international, small, medium and large enterprises across the entire agricultural supply chain, from the farm to the consumer.

The OECD-FAO Guidance proposes:

A model enterprise policy outlining the company standards;

A framework for risk-based due diligence;

A description of the major risks faced by enterprises;

A guidance for engaging with indigenous peoples.

The Guidance was developed with the support of a multi-stakeholder advisory group and benefited from feedback received during an online public consultation.