It seems as if every other word used at the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting had something to do with the concept of “sustainability.”  Given the rate at which the human population is growing, finding innovative ways that would allow our society to endure (and to do so comfortably) is no small task.  However, there are many pieces to the sustainability puzzle, including that which is associated with food supply.  And this is exactly what Joyce Cacho, PhD, Chief Sustainability Officer at Novus International, Inc., is addressing on a global level.     

Joyce is well versed on the subject of agribusiness – a blanket term used to describe all the different aspects of food production – having earned a PhD on the very topic.  She has also served on a number agribusiness committees, such as the USDA/USTR Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC), and consulted for The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

This extensive background, along with her solid grasp of the realities surrounding the international food supply and the related social, economic, and environmental (SEE) impacts, has afforded Joyce the capacity to develop key strategies aimed to strengthen the sustainability framework for her company.  Dubbed the Triple Bottom Line principle, Joyce hopes that by considering all three SEE components, a synergistic effect leading to the advancement of both the company and the individual farmer will be achieved. 

I am generally skeptical when I hear large companies claim to have the best interest of the little guy at heart, so I asked Joyce to explain how their approach allows for growth in one of these areas without having a significant negative impact on the other(s).  She stated that she doesn’t even consider a business plan unless there is data showing that at least two of the three parts of SEE will be positively affected.  She added that she would be willing to do a happy dance for a viral YouTube campaign if someone hands her a plan that would provide a simultaneous positive impact on social, economic, AND environmental sustainability programs!

While these initiatives seem noteworthy, my experience with agribusiness (read: none at all) leaves me unable to go into depth regarding the ins and outs of this industry.  However, Joyce’s efforts are not at all limited to that which revolves around her company’s bottom line.  Having lived in Kenya for six years, she has seen firsthand many of the inequities that African women face, in particular African women farmers, who carry out approximately 60-80% of the agricultural work required for household subsistence. 

As our population grows by leaps and bounds, the speed at which the issue of food security is propelled into the limelight is ever increasing – something that has been one of the major focuses for Joyce and Novus International, Inc.  However, here in the US, we do not equally share this burden with our fellow human beings who live in developing nations – at least, not yet.  Our brothers and sisters in Africa are once again experiencing life-threatening famine conditions and “business as usual” tactics can no longer suffice.  According to the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), there must be a major shift in mindset when it comes to tackling this enormous issue, especially when it comes to the inclusion of women (PDF report):

A key failing of past efforts to reduce hunger and increase rural incomes has been the lack of attention paid to women as farmers, producers and farm workers – both wage and non-wage.  It’s not too late to integrate the lessons we’ve learned and avoid the pitfalls of the past. To move forward, however, the world community must make a significant shift in its thinking about women, food security, agriculture and the global marketplace to see women as key economic agents of change in rural communities who in their own right contribute to local, national and global food security and economic growth. 

Though women make up a significant portion of the agricultural workforce in Africa, there exists many barriers for their economic and social empowerment.  For instance, an excruciatingly small percentage of African women farmers have access to the tools and technology, such as a multi-purpose cultivation instrument, that would increase farming efficiency and output.  Furthermore, it is next to impossible for women to obtain any financial assistance.  These inequities arise from a variety of factors, including a severe cultural norm whereby women are generally considered to be second-class citizens.  Yet, research suggests that this chokehold on women’s progress in Africa affects more than the individual.  These issues are linked to food shortages as well as a significant delay in the adaptation of new technologies.

Given these data, Joyce and Novus have teamed up with the Gender and Diversity Program of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the implementation of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) – a partnership that represents the first private sector collaboration for CGIAR.  The AWARD program, which obtains a majority of its funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, selects women scientists from multiple sects of the agribusiness discipline to help “build an effective and transferable career development program for women in agricultural research and development in sub-Saharan Africa.”  To date, Novus has accepted two AWARD research fellows and plans to continue these efforts.

The situation in Africa might be foreign to many of us but I dare anyone to remain stoic when hearing of the issues that effect African families.  Given the nature of my conversation with Joyce, it was difficult for me to not think of my own children and our overwhelmingly fortunate lives.  Sometimes I lose perspective and complain that my home is too small or that my wardrobe doesn’t live up to my expectations, but I try to realize that having clean, hot water and the ability to give my children a high-quality education is something that only a portion of mothers on this planet can provide to their families.  And through this segue, we got to discussing what it means to be a mother.

I was actually quite moved by Joyce’s words, who broadly defined motherhood as a state in which a woman cares and nurtures for a child, and does her best to provide every opportunity for betterment.  “You don’t need to give birth to someone to be that person’s mother,” she exclaimed.  “There are so many children who go without and any continued effort to help them advance and excel is deems a woman worthy of being called mom.”  And with that, I suddenly realized that we can all do more.  Whether it is by doing simple things at home or by contributing to major efforts abroad, mothers can help change the world.  Though we hear of many strategies because of their scale, even small contributions will make a difference.  “We can’t just sit around and let utopia come to us; it is our job to create a world that makes utopia more accessible for those who come after us.”  These were Joyce’s parting words, which are indeed words to live by.