ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
All commodities, including coffee, are taken from the natural environment. The impact that this farming has on both the local area and the planet as a whole is directly related to the methods employed by farmers, whose income in turn is directly related to profit they can make from the crops they sell.
"Preserving soil health so that crops and livestock can be grown and raised there"
Sustainable farming methods are not always the easiest or best known, but without them, damage to natural resources and the environment will ultimately affect agricultural productivity and the farmers' livelihoods. To gain a larger yield, some farmers might rely heavily on pesticides and fertilizers, the misuse of which pollutes not only the soil, but also water sources for the local area. If under severe financial pressure, growers might also be forced to overwork their farms, leading to biological degradation of otherwise arable land.
In order to safeguard the land, and the source of future produce in the long term, all parties involved need to work together to develop and implement sustainable practices. The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative
(SAI-Platform), which was co-founded by Nestlé, aims to do just this. Our objectives are to ensure the land is cared for, thereby preserving soil health so that crops and livestock can be grown and raised there respectively.
We are actively involved in, and are strongly supporting, the 4C "Common Code for the Coffee Community". The 4C is an all stakeholders (Coffee Growers, Industry, Civil Society) initiative aimed at producing a document (Code) defining the minimum conditions for sustainable coffee production.
One of Nestlé's main objectives in the coffee area is to contribute towards more sustainable coffee production, particularly based on farm activity diversification. We view 4C as a very valuable activity for engaging in discussions with other organisations involved in improving coffee growing. Nestlé believes that 4C has the best potential for making practical progress in improving conditions of coffee farming.
We are also contributing to the "Sustainable Coffee Partnership", a forum that seeks to bring together all parties involved to develop solutions for sustainable farming all the way from plant to process. This important platform was initiated by the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
Environmentally-friendly pulping and washing equipment has been introduced to the farms that we are working with in Ethiopia, which reduces water contamination from the equipment. The leftover pulp, which is entirely organic, can then be used as fertiliser after composting. We also take steps to prevent water being unnecessarily wasted through farming, and to minimise the pollution and energy consumption from farming equipment.
"In Guatemala we
have also installed
fuel-efficient stoves
with chimneys that reduce the use of
wood by 75%"
In El Salvador we are offering technical assistance to farmers promoting farming methods that take care of the environment and preserve their valuable natural resources.
We have successfully implemented a variety of schemes to work with farmers in China, Indonesia and the Philippines to look after their environment. These include the reduction of the use of harmful chemicals in the farming process, for example by encouraging the use of manure as a natural fertiliser as well as re-introducing manual weeding and pest control practices. And, in farms on steep slopes, the planting of coffee trees on terraces or 'steps' goes a long way towards preventing the problem of soil erosion.
Through the continuing co-operation of individuals and organisations at every level of the coffee community, environmentally-sustainable farming practices are now being established that we hope will prove universally beneficial, both now and in the long term.
