The
aims of NIASA are to:
- Improve
the profitability of NIASA accredited businesses
through the adoption of industry Best Practice;
- Encourage
the use of environmentally sound work practices;
and
- Encourage
the continuous improvement of NIASA accredited
businesses
and those working towards accreditation.
- Improve
customer confidence at all levels of the distribution
chain
Any wholesale/production nursery or growing media/potting
mix manufacturer in Australia can join NIASA
if they implement the NIASA Best Practice
Guidelines. Membership is totally voluntary
and participants are not required to belong
to a Nursery & Garden
Industry Association.
EcoHort™ – the environmental
management system for Australian nursery production
Nursery and Garden Industry Australia (NGIA)
in partnership with Horticulture Australia Limited
(HAL) have developed a set of guidelines that
provide a systematic approach for NIASA accredited
businesses to focus on their environmental
and natural resource management responsibilities.
What is EcoHort™?
EcoHort™ is the industry specific set of
guidelines or Environmental Management System (EMS).
It is a method by which a grower can demonstrate
to industry, government and the community their
sound environmental and natural resource stewardship.
Adopting the process of EcoHort™ has allowed
Jamberoo Native Nursery to demonstrate that we:
- Are
utilising a recognised system for assessing
likely environmental and natural resource impacts,
and
- are
managing these impacts in a responsible and
sustainable manner.
For businesses that have invested time and money
into systems and technology that advance the
business while enhancing environmental and
natural resource outcomes, EcoHort offers a
practical means of gaining recognition for
these efforts.
Rising to the environmental challenge
Nursery production is a highly diverse industry.
It services a broader horticultural sector, including
ornamental retail, landscaping, interior-scaping,
forestry, revegetation, cut flower and fruit and
vegetable producers. The diversification of customers
has placed growers in our industry in a range of
locations across Australia, including urban, peri-urban,
regional and rural.
The nursery and garden industry is confronted
by a multitude of environmental and natural resource
impediments as a result of this spread. From
land use restrictions and urban encroachment
to government legislation, heightened community
expectations and water access, availability and
utilisation requirements, the range of constraining
factors can at times seem overwhelming.
It is therefore important that the nursery and
garden industry has developed its own Environmental
Management System, EcoHort™. The EcoHort™ guidelines
ensure that the various aspects of nursery production
are addressed in a way that maximises business
sustainability and profitability whilst considering
the likely environmental impact(s).
EcoHort™ has drawn together a substantial
amount of information highlighting best management
practice in nursery production. Amassed over
a number of years through the industry’s
R&D program, many of these projects offer
guidance to growers on how to improve business
outcomes while proactively addressing environmental
and natural resource responsibilities.
EcoHort™ is a significant step forward
for industry because it:
- Is
the vehicle from which businesses can gain
recognition for the advances and uptake of
industry best management practice, and
- Allows
the industry to show that it is demonstrating
due diligence under the label of environmental
and natural resource management.
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