Kellogg’s has announced a new commitment to enable improved productivity of 15,000 smallholder farmers in its agricultural supply chain, with a focus on rice, as well as support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The company made the announcement this week at the UN Climate Summit held in New York.
Rice is a staple food for more than half the world's population, and is grown by a number of smallholder farmers in several parts of the world. Rice contributes to climate change because of the emissions created in current growing practices, which also impacts crop yields due to rising temperatures and sea levels.
The initiative is a part of Kellogg's recently announced global sustainability goals for responsible sourcing and conserving natural resources. In conjunction with the UN Climate Summit, Kellogg is also pledging in support of the Joint Statement for Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition and the Declaration of Forests.
A cornerstone of Kellogg’s high-level goals around sourcing is responsibly sourcing its top 10 ingredients (such as palm oil, which in February the food giant committed to working with its global suppliers to only source oil that's fully traceable and “produced in a manner that's environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable” by the end of 2015) and materials by 2020, and validate compliance across all direct suppliers by 2015. The company will also continue to provide resources and education to key agricultural suppliers, millers and farmers to help them increase their resilience to climate change; optimize their use of fertilizer inputs; reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their agricultural practices; optimize water use and enhance watershed quality; and improve soil health.
In addition, Kellogg’s will identify areas within its supply chain with a high prevalence of women farmers and workers and develop programs to provide resources and education that improve the livelihoods of these women, their families and their communities.
Get the latest insights, trends, and innovations to help position yourself at the forefront of sustainable business leadership—delivered straight to your inbox.
Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Sep 26, 2014 10am EDT / 7am PDT / 3pm BST / 4pm CEST