Unilever says to be working on expanding its regenerative agriculture practices across 1 million hectares by 2030 to make farming more sustainable and climate-resilient. Among their activities is a collaboration with Spanish growers. "We've worked with tomato farmers in Spain to protect vital water resources and to reduce their greenhouse gases by a third per kilogram of tomatoes grown. These outcomes give us hope that, together, we can shift the way food is grown for good", the company announces.
Unilever has selected 2 key ways to deliver on their target: by scaling up regenerative agriculture, in which priority crops include soy in Brazil and the US, and rapeseed in the UK and Europe, and by working together across shared supply chains. "We're joining forces with businesses who share our suppliers, to amplify the impact of our programmes. For example, our alliance with PepsiCo in Iowa has already enabled us to pool resources and scale projects efficiently, planting cover crops on 35,000 hectares of farmland. "
In Spain, Unilever collaborates with local farmers to improve water conservation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in tomato production. "These initiatives have successfully cut down water use in regions that face water scarcity and have reduced emissions by a third per kilogram of tomatoes grown. By enhancing soil health and reducing reliance on synthetic inputs, these practices help protect the environment while ensuring a reliable supply of tomatoes for Unilever's products."
"Our partnership with Unilever demonstrates the benefits of long-term projects shifting from sustainable sourcing to regenerative agriculture – improving soil health while reducing emissions," says Manuel Vázquez Calleja, CEO, of Group Conesa, at the Spanish tomato supplier Agraz. "Our farmers are pleased with the promising early results."
Source: Unilever.