Key cocoa agroforestry collaboration between Nestlé and ofi aims to tackle deforestation

A key joint global venture has been launched between Nestlé and ofi (olam food ingredients) forging an ambitious cocoa agroforestry scheme targeting major carbon emissions reduction, as well as addressing deforestation in supply chains, reports Neill Barston.

These two prime sustainability areas have long been a focus for industry within recent years, but with pressure on companies and governments being ramped up to achieve net zero targets, businesses are increasingly moving to deliver tangible results against re-evaluated targets being set internally and at national level.

The challenges facing the cocoa sector as it continues to grapple with major structural challenges will be among topics for discussion at our World Confectionery Conference, with early bird visitor rates available for the Brussels event on 11 September at the Marriott Hotel, Grand Place.

Furthermore, as far as industry wide schemes are concerned, there have also be additional efforts by industry to reduce environmental impact such as the much-heralded Cocoa and Forests Initiative in 2017. This received much fanfare, and relaunched over the past two years in a “2.0”scaled-up approach with pledges from major confectionery companies (including Nestle, Mars, Mondelez and Hershey, as well as ofi among others, on tackling ongoing industry-linked deforestation in West African nations of Ghana and Ivory Coast.

For this latest sector initiative, Nestlé and ofi, which have put forward a combined effort covering a broad international territory, including Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Brazil, approximately 25,000 farmers will be supported in transitioning to climate-smart farming, over a 5-year period in each country by implementing agroforestry and crop residue management.

These activities will be monitored until 2055, with ofi’s carbon footprinting experts estimating they can cut carbon emissions by 1.5 million tons of CO2 over the next 30 years.

As the venture noted, the project aims to cultivate more than 72,000 hectares of agroforestry, as part of a transition to regenerative agriculture. This includes planting an estimated 2.8 million trees, which will be 3rd party verified, from the nursery to the farm. The baselines for these activities have been established using ofi’s AI-powered Carbon Stock Monitoring tool and will be used continuously to track the geolocation of the trees and that they are growing to comply with the objectives set out by Nestlé and ofi.

The global partnership builds on 15 years of Nestlé and ofi collaborating on sustainable cocoa and is their largest joint agroforestry initiative to date. It is designed to support Nestlé’s Cocoa Plan and 2050 Net Zero targets while also contributing towards ofi’s Cocoa Compass sustainability ambition, which introduced new targets for regenerative agriculture. These feed into ofi’s overarching sustainability strategy, Choices for Change, with a vision of being the preferred partner for positive change.

Implementation has already started in all three locations, with a series of comprehensive training and educational exercises to help farmers become more forest-positive by focusing on the benefits of agroforestry and carbon capture.

Its core goals include training on climate-smart agricultural practices, in which farmers will receive extensive training on sustainable farming techniques, including good agricultural practices (GAP), like planting shade trees amongst cocoa. They will also learn how to better manage crop residues, such as composting and mulching cocoa pod husks, to improve soil health and help reduce GHG emissions.

There will also be further training for farmers on wider environmental and sustainability issues, including those related to the African Regional Sustainability Standard (ARS) and EUDR regulations on sustainable cocoa. This is designed to give them a deeper understanding of the landscape and empower them to become stewards of their environment.

Financial incentives will be provided through monetary rewards for planting and maintaining forest trees, encouraging active participation and commitment to the partnership goals.

In addition, by promoting reforestation and carbon capture, the partnership aims to enhance biodiversity and improve soil health, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient cocoa supply chain. Data will be analysed using ofi’s proprietary tool AtSource Digital Footprint Calculator (DFC), to understand the carbon reduction.

Darrell High, Cocoa Plan Manager, Nestlé said: “People are at the heart of our climate actions. We’re working with ofi to help farmers transition to climate-smart farming practices. By supporting a move towards a more regenerative food system, we can continue to build a more responsible cocoa supply chain and progress towards our shared climate goals for 2030 and beyond.”

Andrew Brooks, Global Head of Cocoa Sustainability, ofi said: “We are thrilled to partner with Nestlé on this global climate action initiative. Together, we’re addressing climate challenges, by putting farmers at the center of the solution. Collaborating closely with cocoa communities, we can support farmers in adapting and mitigating climate change and help strengthen the supply of sustainable cocoa ingredients.”