Nestlé to promote regenerative food system
Swiss-based food and drink giant Nestlé has said it is aiming to accelerate the transition to a regenerative food system that aims to protect and restore the environment and enhance the well-being of farming communities.
Nestlé will work with its food system partners, including the company's network of more than 500,000 farmers and 150,000 suppliers, to advance regenerative farming practices at the heart of the food system.
As part of this journey, the company will also initiate new programmes to help address the social and economic challenges of the transition.
"We know that regenerative agriculture plays a critical role in improving soil health, restoring water cycles and increasing biodiversity for the long term," said Paul Bulcke, Chairman of Nestlé.
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"These outcomes form the foundation of sustainable food production and, crucially, also contribute to achieving our ambitious climate targets."
Nestlé is a signatory of the UN Business Ambition for 1.5°C pledge and was one of the first companies to share its detailed, time-bound climate plan in December 2020. The company is taking measures to halve its emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050.
"With our long-standing partnerships with farming communities globally, we want to increase our support for farming practices that are good for the environment and good for people," said Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO.
"In the spirit of enabling a just transition, it is vital that we support farmers around the world that take on the risks and costs associated with the move towards regenerative agriculture."
Agriculture accounts for nearly two-thirds of Nestlé's total greenhouse gas emissions, with dairy and livestock making up about half of that. The company will start working with 30 reference dairy farms in 12 countries to test scalable, climate-friendly and regenerative agricultural practices that help achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
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Furthermore, Nestlé will implement new living income programmes for farmers in its value chain to make farming more attractive. Later this year, Nestlé will unveil specific plans for its coffee and cocoa supply chains.
To support young people who are passionate about farming, the company is launching a new training platform in November to attract and train the next generation of farmers. The training will focus on regenerative agriculture practices and improving the resilience of farms to climate change for more than 40,000 farmers participating in one of Nestlé's agripreneurship programmes.
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