Managing Sustainability in Fruit Production

Abstract

As fruit growers are faced with a growing need for sustainable development, it is important to integrate sustainability into their management processes. This research applies and evaluates a self-analysis tool for entrepreneurs called the ‘sustainability scan’. The scan identifies 23 sustainability themes, divided according to the 3P-framework (People, Planet and Profit). In the scan, it is assumed that the management of these themes is at the core of sustainable entrepreneurship. The ‘sustainability scan’ generally relates to larger companies as it includes a range of themes and steps in the management cycle that are most relevant to large firms. The empirical research suggests that fewer factors are relevant for small fruit producers. In order to reduce the bureaucracy as far as possible, it is suggested that only the most relevant themes and steps in the management cycle be retained. Relevant themes in the ‘people’ domain are: (i) food safety, (ii) food and health, (iii) terms of employment, and (iv) working conditions. In the ‘planet’ domain, the following themes can be retained: (i) water, (ii) waste, (iii) energy, (iv) minerals, (v) nature and landscape, and (vi) plant protection products. The ‘profit’ component can be limited to the following themes: (i) external orientation, (ii) value added, and (iii) capacity to change. Likewise, the number of steps in the management cycle can be reduced to: (i) objectives (with implied vision based on stakeholder dialogue), (ii) measures, (iii) monitoring, (iv) performance, and (v) transparency.