We set the plan and the GLOBALG.A.P. Team delivered, both in financial and operational terms. I wish to congratulate and thank you all on behalf of the Board. A highlight was certainly the GLOBALG.A.P. SUMMIT in Lima, Peru – a perfect showcase of what our global movement has achieved and is aiming for in the future.

In our role as the GLOBALG.A.P. Board we adopted and continued to promote the strategic direction of the GLOBALG.A.P. partnership. In 2018, we opted towards true globalization.

We expanded our governance structure, and supported investments into enlarging our network of local representatives on all continents. Having representatives working on a local level is vital. As a farmer, I know that the conditions for farming are locally very different and very diverse, a fact made clear by the large number of our professional solutions and services in this report.
Yet, the GLOBALG.A.P. Board is determined to continue the drive for simplification – despite or because of the need for ongoing diversification in the farm and food sector. We depend on you, our active members, to come forward and share with us your innovative approaches for simplifying and scaling up farm assurance as a trust delivering system towards consumers and society.

This is why in 2018 we launched our largest expansion plan in our history so far. On behalf of each of our now more than 100 highly motivated experts operating out of 23 countries, we invite you all to join our efforts. If you share the same mindset by placing the farmer in the center, let us mutually commit to implementing all the relevant United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through an open collaboration process. Let your IT talk to us via APIs, tap into our farmer community, and help grow their numbers to reach 100 times 200,000 – 2 million producers under GLOBALG.A.P. certification around the world!