Nestlé Nigeria has announced plans to introduce a $1 million investment over the next three years as a broader climate-smart agricultural project to assist regenerative agriculture in Zaria, Kaduna State.s.

This program was created in collaboration with TechnoServe and AGRA to enhance resilience and sustainable farming methods among Nigerian smallholder farmers.

The CEO of Nestlé Nigeria, Wassim Elhusseini, stated during the launch that the firm is dedicated to minimising its environmental impact and sourcing sustainably.

“At Nestlé, we believe that good food starts with high-quality ingredients and the well-being of the people who produce them. Our partnership in this initiative underscores our commitment to sustainable sourcing and decarbonising our value chain,” he said.

Elhusseini noted that the company is working toward a global goal of sourcing at least 50 percent of its key ingredients from farmers practising regenerative agriculture by 2030.

“With an investment of over $1,000,000 in this project over the next three years, we aim to contribute towards establishing regenerative agriculture as the standard in the food industry, addressing both environmental and social priorities holistically,” he said.

Launched concurrently with the financing announcement, the Climate-Smart Grain Production and Accessing the Structured Markets (StreFaS) initiative aims to assist eight aggregators and 25,000 smallholder farmers in Kaduna and Nasarawa.

The program aims to sustainably produce maize, soybeans, rice, and sorghum from June 2024 to October 2027.

Country Director of TechnoServe Nigeria, Adesuwa Akinboro, described the initiative as a calculated attempt to provide farmers and agribusinesses with resources and market access.

Source: TheGuardian

Image Credit: Brand Impact Nigeria