Louis Dreyfus Company Launches Collaborative Regenerative Agriculture Program in Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina, August 9, 2024 – Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) announced today the launch of a collaborative regenerative agriculture program in Argentina, involving various agricultural value chain stakeholders with a common goal to help reduce carbon emissions, conserve natural ecosystems and resources, and boost climate resilience in agricultural communities, while continuing to meet growing demand for sustainably produced agricultural goods.
“To address the increasingly urgent need for agricultural systems to adapt to climate-related challenges affecting soils, yields and consequently profitability, LDC has a strategic role to play, due to its proximity to farmers, in driving the adoption of practices that can help produce agricultural goods more sustainably,” explains Juan José Blanchard, LDC’s global COO and Head of Latin America. “Guided by our purpose to create fair and sustainable value for the benefit of current and future generations, we are proud to launch this program in Argentina alongside partners who share our vision to shape a more sustainable future of food and agriculture by engaging with and supporting Argentine farmers on the transition to regenerative practices.”
Focusing on soy, corn and camelina crops, the regenerative agriculture program launched today aims to cover 205,000 hectares and involve 400 farmers in the country by 2030. As program lead, LDC will coordinate program design, enrolment of agricultural producers, signing specific purchase agreements and offer risk-sharing mechanisms, as well as results reporting.
The Nature Conservancy (TNC), an international NGO dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity and the environment, will provide technical support for the design and implementation of the program. “LDC’s regenerative agriculture program is a key opportunity for TNC to bring its vast experience to bear in support of sustainable agriculture that meets global food demand. As part of our global collaboration announced earlier this year, we look forward to supporting LDC on this journey in Argentina, designing comprehensive, science-based strategies with a focus on caring for nature,” says Andrés Sylvestre Begnis, leader of TNC’s zero conversion strategy for commodities in the Gran Chaco region.
Peterson, the renowned consultancy specializing in sustainability projects across agricultural chains, will play a central role in the design of the program and in supporting producers. Its assistance will focus on the selection of regenerative agricultural practices suitable for each field and on the verification of field indicators, establishing baselines, and monitoring and evaluating improvements in environmental impacts.
Syngenta, a leading company in science and innovation in agriculture, will contribute to bringing together producers, and exchanging knowledge and experiences among them, through the implementation of practices aligned with LDC’s regenerative agriculture program in demonstration fields.
As financial partner, Banco Galicia will offer producers preferential financing options on a case-by-case basis, for the necessary investments to adopt recommended regenerative agriculture practices.
Nestlé Argentina will also actively partner as a driver of demand for the products generated by the program, in line with its goal to procure milk and dairy ingredients from cattle fed by agricultural systems based on regenerative agriculture, with a low carbon footprint.
The program launch was announced at the 2024 Aapresid Congress, where representatives of LDC and the five collaborating partners ratified their commitment and discussed the program benefits for Argentine agriculture, including to position the country as a global supplier of sustainable products.
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About Louis Dreyfus Company
Louis Dreyfus Company is a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods, founded in 1851. We leverage our global reach and extensive asset network to serve our customers and consumers around the world, delivering the right products to the right location, at the right time – safely, reliably and responsibly. Our activities span the entire value chain, from farm to fork, across a broad range of business lines (platforms): Carbon Solutions, Coffee, Cotton, Food & Feed Solutions, Freight, Global Markets, Grains & Oilseeds, Juice, Rice and Sugar. We help feed and clothe some 500 million people every year by originating, processing and transporting approximately 80 million tons of products. Louis Dreyfus Company is active in over 100 countries across six geographical regions, and employs approximately 18,000 people globally. For more information, visit www.ldc.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X and WeChat (ID: we_are_ldc).
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