India is the largest producer and consumer of spices in the world today. However, the scope of agrarian production in India, positions sustainability as an immediate and fundamental topic demanding attention on account of non-discriminate use of agrochemicals, farmer livelihood, labour issues and health & safety.
To address these challenges, Sustainable Spices Initiative – India (SSI-I) has designed Sustainable Agricultural Practices (SAP) handbook, in collaboration with Indian Institute of Spice Research (IISR), that lays down a package of practices for sustainable spices production.
The handbook has five core components, which considers food safety, good agricultural practices, farmer livelihood and social development of the farming community:
– Food safety
– Community development and well-being
– Optimum available resources management
– Proactive farming systems
– Value addition activities