Abundant Harvest Organics, a grower for Homegrown Organic Farms, is owned by Vernon Peterson, a fourth-generation stone fruit grower who farms along the Kings River in California’s Central Valley.
Committed to advancing social responsibility and farmworker well-being, Abundant Harvest achieved Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) certification in 2020. EFI is one of the 16 benchmarked certifications accepted by the Ethical Charter Implementation Program (ECIP), instantly placing Abundant Harvest among the highest-engaged growers in ECIP.
As a long-time organic grower, Peterson’s operations hold multiple certifications, including USDA Organic, Gold Level Regenerative Organic Certified®, PrimusGFS and GLOBALG.A.P. However, Peterson emphasizes that EFI stands apart due to its impact on daily operations. “EFI is the only certification that brings value to our farm. Other certifications are necessary for the marketplace, but they don’t help us do our job better. The training and teamwork that come with EFI genuinely improve our operations and allow us to deliver a better product to consumers,” Peterson said.
Abundant Harvest values worker voice and has a library of examples of improvements at the field and packhouse designed and implemented by workers. EFI Leadership Team members have contributed to innovations such as decreasing berm height to reduce slipping in the field, as well as an exclusively designed ladder that reduces knee and hip fatigue and improves stability. Peterson adds, “We’re never going to build great companies from the top down; it’s got to come from the bottom up.”
With a strong commitment to training, continuous improvement, and implementation of worker voice, Peterson believes that EFI has helped unify various certification requirements, making compliance more seamless while creating a culture of collaboration on the farm.
Abundant Harvest is one of Homegrown Organic’s 20 growers participating in ECIP who all hold EFI certification. This underscores the supplier’s commitment to not only an ethical and sustainable product but also an ethical and sustainable supply chain.
Equitable Food Initiative serves as the implementing organization for the Ethical Charter Implementation Program, overseeing the management and technology of the ECIP LAB platform.