Dole Food Company has used a recent event to highlight the challenges it faces and the opportunities available in the field of sustainable agricultural practices.

The US fresh produce multinational participated in the second annual Forum on Sustainability and Happiness in Costa Rica last week, represented by the likes of Sylvain Cuperlier and Roberto Vega.

Cuperlier, the group's vice-president of corporate responsibility and sustainability, introduced the forum's roundtable discussion on sustainable agriculture, looking at pesticide use, climate change and water use among other key issues.

During the roundtable, he highlighted challenges specific to agriculture, like market pressure on prices, while also pinpointing opportunities for collaboration, such as multi-stakeholder initiatives aimed at sharing best sustainable practices.

Vega, Dole's director of sustainability, also participated in the discussion, outlining the company's many sustainability programmes.

'Our participation for the second time in the Forum was a great opportunity for Dole to reaffirm our leadership role in sustainability, while highlighting, with full transparency, the challenges and opportunities our industry can encounter along the way,' said Cuperlier. 'These events are so valuable because they bring together so many stakeholders, new and established, to discuss issues that span such a wide variety of companies, industries and regions.'

This year's event saw former US president Bill Clinton provide the closing keynote speech, delivering a message on environmental sustainability.

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