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Acting at the heart of the food chain

October 16, 2020

Securing a sustainable and resilient future of food starts at the source, with the farmers who make it all happen.

Food is vital. It fuels us, nourishes us and brings families and communities together. Food is essential to our survival and an integral part of the lives, heritage, cultural identity and celebrations of almost 7.8 billion people around the world… and growing…

Yet many of us rarely take a moment to think about the supply chains that bring food to our tables.

The United Nations (UN) expects the world’s population to rise to 9.7 billion people by 2050, with a corresponding increase in demand for food.

The food we need to survive is grown by 570 million farms, of which around 90% are run by smallholder family farmers who often live in remote communities and need training in good agricultural practices and greater access to finance, equipment and technology to improve their livelihoods, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization.  

We agree. Our collective future depends on their resilience. So empowering them is the first step toward a sustainable future of food.

In honor of World Food Day 2020, we’re shining a spotlight on the farmers we work with, whose contribution is essential in supplying the food we all need.

Supporting farming communities

The food journey starts at the heart of the food chain: with farmers, the food heroes growing 70% of what ends up on our plates.

Working with farmers in the field is critical to understand their challenges and needs, and create training programs that take these into account, sharing sustainable farming techniques to adapt to climate change, increasing their productivity and improve their livelihoods for the long-term.  

Securing the future of food

As a result of decreasing yields and incomes, farmers are leaving their farms to seek a better living in urban centers. As a result, the average age of farmers is increasing in many territories, putting the long-term future of food production at risk.

Through educational programs training farmers, rural women and younger generations to use the latest technologies and apply more sustainable agricultural practices, we aim to support today’s farmers to increase their incomes today, and encourage future farmers to build a profitable career in agriculture, helping to meet rising global demand for food.

“Many of our collaborative projects with a wide range of partners strive to engage rural women farmers and younger generations through educational activities that not only empower them but also encourage them to take an active role in the social and economic development of their local communities as a whole,” said Guy Hogge, our Global Head of Sustainability.

Partnerships for sustainable development

This work can’t be achieved alone. That’s why we team up with partners like the Louis Dreyfus Foundation, peers, customers, NGOs, expert organizations and local governments, working together toward the UN’s global Sustainable Development Goals.

We believe that sustainable food production is possible with the right tools, the right knowledge and, above all, with a collective effort and commitment to support the farmers who are the heart of our food chain.

We hope you will join us in taking action to support more sustainable food systems.

To celebrate World Food Day 2020, we have created The Incredible Brain Food Pack, a children’s activity pack to help kids everywhere have fun while learning about food and where it comes from.

You can download it for free, and then share your masterpieces with us on Twitter or LinkedIn using #brainfoodpack!


 

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