Nestlé joins with the World Farmers’ Organisation for regenerative agriculture

Global food group Nestlé has partnered with the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), in an ambitious move to improve supply chains, including within the dairy sector, writes Barston.

According to the Swiss-headquartered business, it will advocate systems that promote fair policies and practical solutions including regenerative agriculture and help respond to climate change.

Notably, the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) represents over one billion farmers globally from national organizations and agricultural cooperatives in more than 50 countries.

As the group explained, like Nestlé, the WFO prioritises enabling action on climate change from the ground up, advancing regenerative, climate-resilient agriculture, and strengthening farming communities and rural economies.

Significantly, the move comes amid a raft of high profile legislative moves that have placed deforestation as a key topic (EUDR) with supply chains, and linked corporate due diligence laws, both going through the European parliament, with global implications, for standards and transparency within farming supply chains around the world. However, as observers have noted, these sets of frameworks have to date included insufficient direct input from farming communities themselves, which is seen by many as crucial to the success of such major agricultural initiatives.

Speaking on Nestle’s latest venture, Arnold Puech d’Alissac, President at the World’s Farmers Organisation commented: “Farmers are facing the challenges of climate change every day, but they are also driving the solutions. Real change demands holistic approaches and collaboration across the value chain. This partnership with Nestlé aims to lead by example, showing how farmers and industry can work together, with trust and respect, to build food systems that are fair, resilient, and sustainable for people and the planet.”

Furthermore, the two organisations will collaborate to understand farmers’ challenges, to promote awareness of regenerative agriculture, to strengthen farmers’ capacities, and to co-develop viable farming models that can also inspire and attract the next generation of farmers.

“Nestlé relies on 600 000 farmers globally to ensure a sustainable supply of its raw materials,” said Chris Hogg, Global Head of Public Affairs at Nestlé. “Farmers, who are deeply aware of today’s crop production challenges, are highly proficient at adapting and finding ways to work with the planet’s natural resources to produce food. By partnering with the WFO, we want to put farmers at the center and share their insights and concerns to help inform food policies.”