Nescafé has published its first Nescafé Plan 2030 Progress Report, with results showing that farmers are gradually adopting regenerative agricultural practices and improving farming yields.
The results are based on an impact assessment conducted by Nescafé in partnership with the Rainforest Alliance, from 2018 to 2022, and among more than 7000 coffee farmers in 14 countries from where Nescafé sources its coffee.
“The Nescafé Plan 2030 Progress Report shows the potential of regenerative agriculture to help make coffee farming more sustainable over the long term. We are supporting coffee farmers to make this transition and are giving them the know-how and tools they need to increase yields and income, while helping reduce carbon emissions at the same time,” says Philipp Navratil, Head of Nestlé’s Coffee Strategic Business Unit.
Recently adopted practices include intercropping, mulching, and integrated weed management. In 2022, the Nescafé Plan 2030 farmer trainings on regenerative agricultural practices reached more than 100,000 farmers in 14 countries. In addition, 1.4 million trees were planted in and around coffee farms that supply coffee to Nescafé, providing shade to prevent coffee’s over-exposure to the sun and additional revenue sources for farmers.
The Nescafé Plan 2030 is piloting financial support schemes to help farmers transition to more sustainable practices. The pilots have engaged around 3000 coffee farmers in Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia and Mexico, countries where farmers earn, on average, less than a living income. These pilots include testing conditional cash incentives to reward the transition to regenerative agriculture and the rejuvenation of coffee plots as well as weather insurance schemes to protect farmers’ income against the unexpected effects of climate change. Although the pilots are still ongoing, Nescafé is seeing encouraging results and strong farmer engagement.
“We have observed encouraging trends, including improved incomes in some countries, and increased adoption of important regenerative practices, such as integrated weed and pest management. We are excited that our ongoing collaboration will continue to provide valuable insights to the Nescafé Plan, further supporting its ambition to improve the livelihoods of many more coffee farmers,” says Yustika Muharastri, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager from the Rainforest Alliance.
The Nescafé Plan 2030 aims to issue a progress report every year to provide an update on the evolution of its work in helping coffee farming communities transition to regenerative agriculture practices and improve their livelihoods.
To read the report, click here.
