Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement guidance for food and agriculture

This practical guidance was primarily written by Oxfam, and co-developed and co-financed by AIM-Progress, amfori, Ethical Trading Initiative, Ethical Trade Sweden, Fair Labor Association, and the Food Network for Ethical Trade.

The guidance covers why Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement is important, which stakeholders should be reached, how to engage meaningfully, and when to get started. It includes practical tools, indicators and case studies to help companies drive meaningful outcomes over time and to understand whether their engagement is effective. It also includes tips on how to embed engagement across functions, secure internal buy-in, and translate insights into decision-making and concrete actions within the company. 

This guidance was created through a consultative process that reflects the principles of stakeholder engagement it promotes, including dialogue with companies, civil society organisations, trade unions, and rightsholders.   

Find out more about the guidance in this blog and in this handy two-pager.

If you’re like to download the practical tools directly, see:

• A knowledge tool with:
  • A Q&A on Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement
  • A list of potential engagement tools, with benefits and limitations
  • Different forms of trade unions and worker representation, and what they mean for MSE
• Practical tools, including:
  • Guiding questions for meaningful stakeholder engagement (MSE) principles (“what good looks like”) 
  • Stakeholder mapping tool for MSE in the agriculture and food manufacturing sector
  • Data collection and management tool for MSE in the agriculture and food manufacturing sector 

If you have any feedback about the guidance, please share it here.