Page 108 - AMEFT Journal 2021-4

TECHNOLOGY & SUSTAINABILITY
Nestlé and AAK partners for greener earth
AAK has entered a partnership with Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, and palm oil corporation Musim Mas to address deforestation outside of palm oil con- cession areas in Aceh, Indonesia. The five-year program will positively im- pact some 1,000 independent small- holders. Aceh is a priority landscape as 87% of the Leuser Ecosystem – a pro- tected area important for both biodi- versity and carbon storage – lies within the province.
“This partnership is an important part of AAK’s sustainable sourcing approach”, says Anne Mette Olesen, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer at AAK. “Engaging with partners and other stakeholders in the supply chain is fundamental, and only together can we make the global palm oil industry fully transparent and sustainable.”
AAK and Nestlé will initially provide funding for the first two years of the program in which smallholders will be enrolled into Musim Mas’ smallholder program. In a “train the trainer” ap- proach, government extension officers will be trained in good agricultural practices and NDPE (No Deforestation,
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No Peat, and No Exploitation). The extension officers will in turn train oil palm smallholders.
Expected outcomes of the program are increased yields and earnings for the smallholders, reducing the incen- tive to encroach into protected areas as a way of increasing their income. As the majority of deforestation in Aceh occurs outside plantation concession areas, these types of programs are vital.
AAK and Nestlé will initially provide funding for the first two years of the program in which smallholders will be enrolled into Musim Mas’ smallholder program.
“Engaging with stakeholders in the most sensitive landscapes and focus- ing on deforestation outside conces- sion areas is crucial”, says Caroline Westerik-Sikking, Global Manager Sus- tainable Oils at AAK.
“We believe that this partnership can significantly contribute to the protec- tion and preservation of an important landscape and have a positive impact on the livelihoods of the smallholders involved.”
This is AAK’s third significant initia- tive supporting smallholders within palm. The other two are Forever Sa- bah in Malaysia, which seeks to apply RSPO jurisdictional certification to all smallholders in the state of Sabah, and a program in Mexico run together with Solidaridad supporting implementa- tion of good agricultural practices as well as smallholders on their journey towards RSPO certification. AAK rec- ognizes the importance of smallhold- ers to palm oil production and the role they play in the supply chain. Support- ing them to achieve better livelihoods through palm helps AAK realize its so- cietal, environmental and commercial ambitions.
(Source: Image by Bela Geletneky from Pixabay)
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