Cargill and Mondelez Work Together in Indonesia to Improve the Lives of Cocoa Farmers

09 Nov 2015

09 Nov 2015 --- Cargill’s cocoa & chocolate business, in collaboration with Mondelez International through its Cocoa Life program, is introducing a two and a half year program in Indonesia aimed at improving the livelihood of smallholder cocoa farmers and driving sustainability in their farming practices.

Six thousand farmers and their families in the districts of Kolaka and Kolaka Timur in Southeast Sulawesi, will benefit from the program, which started in October 2015. It is supported by a grant from the Millennium Challenge Account, which has match funded the investment of Mondelez and Cargill. This is part of the Green Prosperity – Sustainable Cocoa Production Partnership (GP-SCPP) national initiative led by Swisscontact in Indonesia.

Andi Sitti Asmayanti, Southeast Asia Cocoa Life manager said: "After a successful first collaboration with Cargill in Indonesia in 2014, we are very excited to be working in partnership again on a large scale project in Indonesia. Through Cocoa Life, Mondelez International plans to reach 40,000 farmers in Indonesia and we believe this project will be a major step forward in reaching this commitment, and supporting cocoa farmers and communities to thrive."

Implemented with Swisscontact, the program will deliver training in good agricultural practices to improve knowledge and boost productivity, while improving environmental practices to reduce the carbon footprint of cocoa farming. There also will be nutrition training and the creation of vegetable gardens to encourage food diversification and extra incomes for households.

Finally, there will be a focus on facilitating access to agro-inputs (seedlings, fertilizer, and crop protection products) and training in financial literacy in order help farmers invest in and develop their farms to sustain 2 the production for the generations to come.

Also following a community needs assessment, Mondelez Cocoa Life will partner with an NGO to take a holistic approach to empower cocoa communities, particularly young farmers.

The work with Mondelez reflects the priorities of the Cargill Cocoa Promise, which represents a commitment to improving the livelihoods of farmers, their families and their communities, and, in doing so, securing a longterm supply of cocoa. The Cargill Cocoa Promise focuses on the three key areas that can make a real and lasting difference: farmer training, community support and farm development.

“For 150 years, farmers have been central to our business. They are the cornerstone of our participation in the food and agriculture industry all over the world. At Cargill, we see it as our fundamental responsibility to work towards improving their quality of life and raise their incomes in the communities where we live and work. We do this by engaging them at various levels to become more productive, more efficient, and to grow their business to be more sustainable, especially by better utilizing their land and natural resources,” said Niels Boetje, Managing Director of Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate in Asia Pacific.

Mondelez and Cargill have been working together to help farmers in Sulawesi since July 2014 with the aim of strengthening Indonesia's position as a leading producer of high-quality, sustainable cocoa. In February 2015, the companies signed a formal partnership agreement to support Mondelez International’s Cocoa Life program, which strengthens both companies’ commitment to improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and to investing in a sustainable future for cocoa.