The International Rubber Study Group has signed a letter of intent to collaborate with Forests, Trees and Agroforestry, the research arm of the CGIAR (FTA), on natural rubber industry sustainability efforts. These efforts, the organizations said in a joint news release, "could lead joint proposals for resource mobilization."
In coming together, the organizations leverage their strengths, bringing together the work done by natural rubber producers and consumers that are served by the IRSG with that of the FTA's research and development program.
"The rubber sector is at a turning point, and is now quite conscious of the need to embrace a more sustainable future." Vincent Gitz, director of CIFOR and FTA said in a statement. "A program like FTA can support the sector and its stakeholders with evidence-based solutions toward sustainability. We're glad to cooperate with IRSG for this."
FTA's program, the news releases said, is the largest research for a development program dedicated to embracing the role of forests, trees and agroforestry in improving production systems. Through education, it looks to address some of the biggest sustainability issues of the moment, such as food security and living wages for people around the world, while "providing concrete responses to climate change."
IRSG Secretary General Salvatore Pinizzotto, in a statement, noted the importance of collaboration in helping to propel the natural rubber industry into a more sustainable future.
"This is a very important collaboration for IRSG," he said, "as it will give us the opportunity to further develop activities that could be of support for the IRSG sustainability agenda that has been unveiled by the organization in March 2019."