The History
History of the AASF
The Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF) is a landmark initiative, fuelled by collective efforts from diverse stakeholders in the agricultural industry. Development of the AASF was led by the National Farmers Federation (NFF) and funded through a grant under the Australian Government’s Biodiversity Stewardship Scheme. The primary aim of the AASF is to address the challenges faced by primary producers participating in various sustainability-related programs.
Development of the AASF began in 2020, following extensive consultations across the agricultural sector. Stage 1 consisted of three key phases, each focusing on different aspects of research, development and stakeholder engagement. Over 1,300 stakeholders, including producers, industry bodies, government agencies, and financial institutions, contributed to shaping the framework. The process was led by the NFF and supported by the Australian Farm Institute (AFI) and considered alignment with existing domestic commodity frameworks (such as beef, dairy, and cotton) as well as international initiatives like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI).
During the “discovery phase”, stakeholder feedback highlighted the complexity, cost and difficulty that primary producers encounter when engaging with multiple biodiversity initiatives. To tackle these barriers, an extensive consultation and research process was undertaken, involving representatives from supply chain partners, primary producers, government bodies, financiers and industry organisations.
The outcome of this collaborative research revealed that biodiversity was only a fragment of a larger issue confronting Australian agriculture. Thus, a more viable approach involved developing a comprehensive sustainability framework that could connect existing and emerging programs, providing a unified voice for the entire agricultural sector. And so, the proposal for the AASF was born.
Throughout 2021 to 2023, six delivery partners collaborated with the NFF to advance the development of this pioneering whole-of-Australian agriculture framework.
The NFF continues to lead the ongoing development and testing of the AASF, joined by project delivery partners: the Australian Farm Institute (AFI), CSIRO, KPMG, Schuster Consulting Group and ERM (Environmental Resources Management Australia).
Industry engagement remains at the forefront of this process, with efforts to align the AASF with existing domestic sustainability initiatives and further validate its value proposition.
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