Why food industry and retail need to control impact of their supply chains on soil and how to achieve that

Substantial majority of food used by humanity depends on soil. Human population as well as per capita consumption are growing, this growth requires development of agriculture. At the same time, increasing proportion of human population lives in cities which causes detachment of consumers from soil and food production. Agricultural intensification has increased crop production but at the same time may bring negative environmental effects. Food market chains are, with a few exceptions, driven by retailers who determine sales strategies, price structure, production standards etc. Price is one of the key factors determining customer decisions. Pressure for lower prices can contribute, together with decreasing labor force in agriculture and many other factors, to increased pressure on farm intensification which have negative feedback to environment, society but also to stability of food market supply chain as explained above.  However, an increasing number of food retailers and food and beverage companies view environmental impacts of intensification, including soil degradation, as a risk to stability of their supply chains. They seek options to ensure more sustainable food production. Businesses employ standards and other interventions to steer their suppliers towards preferred practices either as part of their direct contact with suppliers or by using various certification and monitoring schemes operated by third party. This concept is now well established in biodiversity and prevention of deforestation. Nevertheless, soil protection has been emerging as a priority topic as well. Business engagement in soil protection will require effective instruments that can be applied in supply chains. Here we summarize our experiences with development soil protection guidelines in cooperation with Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism.