What is the SIF ?
Our Vision and Mission
The Certified Sustainable Indoor Farming (CSIF) programme was created to grow alongside the soil-less controlled environment agriculture industry, and to acknowledge and encourage sustainable practices. This bespoke certification programme is tailored to the production realities of soil-less controlled environment agriculture.
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The Standard was developed by Control Union UK Ltd. and the Association for Vertical Farming, through an international consultation process where the priorities and opinions of industry and research were used as a basis for setting sustainability requirements. At the time of developing the first iteration of the standard, data availability and data sharing is the. Key focus of the programme along with robust data collection, and an emphasis on continuous improvement, and supply chain transparency. Certification against this programme means that producers could stand to benefit from managing their production site in an environmentally conscious manner. Certification would also provide a platform to showcase the of positive environmental practices in soil-less controlled environment agriculture, providing assurance to the end consumer that the product is produced in a well-managed production site.
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The 10 Key Points
The SIF programme requirements consist of the metrics outlined below:
Energy
producers must keep records of energy consumption and have in place an energy management plan
Nutrients
nutrient waste and nutrient uptake must be measured, and a plan must be in place to ensure proper disposal of the nutrient solution.
Use of space
the efficient use of space must be a documented priority of the production sites, and there must be a means of tracking productivity per m 2 .
Renewable Energy
producers must track the use of renewable energy on the
production sites and have a management plan in place
Substrates
the sourcing of recyclable, biodegradable, or reusable substrates is a key point, as is the reduction of the use of mineral fiber materials
Food Miles
the distance between production and first point of sale must be traceable.
Water
producers must track water use, as well as drainage and treatments. and have in place a water management plan
Plant production plan
a detailed plant protection plan must be in place, and plant
protection products cannot be applied directly onto the plant.
Seeds and Seedlings
transparency and traceability in the seed supply chain must
be in place, and seeds should be sources as locally as possible.
Waste
waste treatment procedures should be clearly set, and waste mitigation procedures must be in place.