{"id":3653,"date":"2020-10-16T07:04:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T05:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ldc.com\/id\/stories-insights\/acting-at-the-heart-of-the-food-chain-2\/"},"modified":"2020-10-16T08:20:07","modified_gmt":"2020-10-16T06:20:07","slug":"acting-at-the-heart-of-the-food-chain-2","status":"publish","type":"stories-insight","link":"https:\/\/www.ldc.com\/id\/en\/stories-insights\/acting-at-the-heart-of-the-food-chain-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Acting at the heart of the food chain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Securing a sustainable and resilient future of food starts at the source, with the farmers who make it all happen. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a> around the world\u2026 and growing\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet many of us\nrarely take a moment to think about the supply chains that bring food to our\ntables. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United Nations<\/em> (UN) expects the world\u2019s population to rise<\/a> to 9.7 billion people by 2050, with a corresponding increase in demand for food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The food we need to survive is grown by 570 million farms, of which around 90% are run by smallholder family farmers<\/a> 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<\/em><\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We agree. Our collective\nfuture depends on their resilience. So empowering them is the first step toward\na sustainable future of food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In honor of World\nFood Day<\/a>\n2020, we\u2019re shining\na spotlight on the farmers we work with, whose contribution is essential in\nsupplying the food we all need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting farming\ncommunities <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The food journey starts at the heart of the food chain: with farmers, the food heroes<\/a> growing 70% of what ends up on our plates<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.  <\/p>\n\n\n \n

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Training 10,000 farmers in India <\/h3>\n \n \n

to apply new crop technologies and efficient irrigation methods<\/p>\n \n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

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Agri-school in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire <\/h3>\n \n \n

teaching new and sustainable agricultural practices to future farmers<\/p>\n \n View Story<\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

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Teaching agroforestry in Brazil and Africa<\/h3>\n \n \n

as a method to grow nutritious and profitable crops while protecting biodiversity <\/p>\n \n View Story<\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

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Supporting 1,000 farmers in Indonesia <\/h3>\n \n \n

to increase palm yields without deforesting land <\/p>\n \n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

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Training 100,000 farmers in Zambia <\/h3>\n \n \n

by 2022, to reduce the environmental impact of cotton production<\/p>\n \n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

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Creating sustainable ecosystems in East Africa and Indonesia<\/h3>\n \n \n

by teaching agroforestry and responsible agricultural practices to improve the resilience of smallholder coffee farmers<\/p>\n \n View Story<\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n \n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

Securing the\nfuture of food <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of\ndecreasing yields and incomes, farmers are leaving their farms to seek a better\nliving in urban centers. As a result, the average age of farmers is increasing\nin many territories, putting the long-term future of food production at risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s farmers to increase their incomes today, and encourage future farmers<\/a> to build a profitable career in agriculture, helping to meet rising global demand for food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany of our collaborative projects with\na wide range of partners strive to engage rural women farmers and younger\ngenerations through educational activities that not only empower them but also encourage\nthem to take an active role in the social and economic development of their\nlocal communities as a whole,\u201d <\/em>said Guy Hogge, our Global Head of Sustainability.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partnerships\nfor sustainable development<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This work can\u2019t be achieved alone. That\u2019s why we team up with partners like the Louis Dreyfus Foundation<\/em><\/a>, peers, customers, NGOs, expert organizations and local governments, working together toward the UN\u2019s global Sustainable Development Goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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