Cargill Cocoa and Mars on values of female farmers in cocoa-growing communities, Nestlé highlights gender equality

06 Mar 2020 --- Gender equality and women’s rights, education and empowerment are critical to industry business, not only in the workplace, but also within the communities and societies that we live in today. With International Women’s Day impending, held each year on March 8, key players are reviewing industry’s ethos and shining a light on the female workforce, specifically in cocoa-growing communities. This year, the theme for International Women’s Day is: “An equal world is an enabled world.” FoodIngredientsFirst speaks to key industry players who have wealth of knowledge in the sector.

Cargill Cocoa championing women across the value chain
Women in the cocoa supply chain face many challenges, Taco Terheijden, Director of Cocoa Sustainability, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “In the countries Cargill sources from, women make up more than half the agricultural workforce and they also take primary responsibility for children’s education and family nutrition.”

Deep-rooted gender inequalities limit women’s opportunities and many continue to experience substantial discrimination. “We believe that women’s economic empowerment is critical to a sustainable cocoa sector, forming a cornerstone of the Cargill Cocoa Promise. It is women’s economic well-being that builds the capacity of farms, and is directly linked to a more productive crop and increased household income,” Terheijden explains. 

Cargill champions women across the cocoa value chain – helping them to get the recognition they deserve for their contribution by giving role models more visibility and, ultimately, fulfil their potential, he adds. 

Cargill is also helping women to confront cultural norms that act as barriers in cocoa-growing countries; notably, how roles as mothers and caregivers can limit their access to economic opportunities and involvement in community decision-making. 

Cargill Cocoa and Mars highlight the values of female farmers in cocoa-growing communities.Practical measures to give women access to affordable credit is a key steppingstone in their empowerment. That’s why Cargill introduced community-based Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLAs). These self-managed groups provide women with safe ways to save money, take out small loans and access emergency loans. Currently, Cargill Cocoa has more than 150 VSLAs in place with 3,500 members, of which 2,100 are women. “The VSLAs also play an important part in boosting women’s self-esteem and pave the way to a new generation of female entrepreneurs, who are role models in their own right,” adds Terheijden. 

“We recognize that there is no ‘silver bullet’ to ensure that women are championed and fully supported in the cocoa value chain. All of the leading companies in the sector – including Cargill – are increasingly focusing on understanding what works and what doesn’t through industry-wide initiatives, such as CocoaAction, in order to learn from each other,” he notes.

“In short, women’s empowerment is a key part of our commitment to helping farmers and their communities achieve better incomes and living standards,” Terheijden states. 

Mars’ US$10m initiative for female farmers
Mars supports the official theme of International Women’s Day: Each for Equal, and the belief that “we can all actively choose to challenge bias and advance equality,” a Mars spokesperson tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “There is a real opportunity for each of us, individually and together, to deliver gender equality – where we work and where we live. Mars is committed to creating an enabling environment where all Mars associates have equal opportunity to thrive – beyond the four walls of our business and through the supply chain.”

Women play a powerful role in Mars’ history and current leadership today, and their advancement and empowerment are crucial to creating the business and society we want to see tomorrow, the spokesperson highlights. While women account for two-thirds of the world’s working hours and produce half of the world’s food, they earn only 10 percent of the world’s income and own less than 1 percent of the world’s property, according to Mars. 

“As part of our Sustainable in a Generation Plan, Mars’ goal is to unlock opportunities for women in our workplaces, marketplaces and supply chains,” the spokesperson says. 

Humanitarian organization CARE and Mars Wrigley are building on the learnings of their VSLA initiative and strengthening women’s empowerment in cocoa-growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Through an additional US$10 million investment from Mars, CARE will expand the VSLA program beyond the 12,000 members Mars and CARE have supported through mid-2019 and are targeting to reach 50,000 more members in these regions by 2025.

The well-being of women in cocoa-growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana is a critical link to family food security and nutrition, education, health and child protection. Moreover it drives the long-term prospects for a future of educated cocoa farmers, says Mars. 

“Our ambition is that each element of the VSLA model will not only contribute to closing the gap to a living income for cocoa-growing households, but will also increase resilience and women’s confidence, as well as strengthen local governance and child protection,” says John Ament, Global Vice President for Cocoa at Mars Wrigley. 

Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE also comments: “The investment from Mars will significantly scale our VSLA programming in cocoa-growing communities in West Africa. Thousands of women in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana will come together and – under their own leadership and with their own aspirations – realize critical improvements in their lives, and those of their families and communities.”

Nestlé initiatives tackle gender balance related topics throughout its entire value chain.Nestlé focus on gender equality 
From under-representation in business management to a lack of access to training, tools and finance for agricultural female workers, Nestlé initiatives tackle gender balance related topics throughout its entire value chain. “We believe that gender equality can drive sustainability in the workplace,” a Nestlé spokesperson tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

“Diversity and Inclusion are an integral part of Nestlé culture. Gender balance is a key component of our approach to diversity and inclusion. We are committed to enhancing gender balance in our workforce and we will accelerate it at a leadership level to create a better place to work,” the spokesperson outlines. 

Nestlé is “on a journey towards gender parity in the workplace, striving for achieving 50/50 in the long term.” The Swiss food company made progress in 2018 with 43 percent of managerial positions being held by women. “Accelerating gender balance requires a business culture, environment and leadership structure that provides equal opportunities for everyone,” the spokesperson adds. 

In 2019, Nestlé launched its Gender Balance Acceleration Plan, committing to increase the number of women in the group’s top 200 senior executive positions from around 20 to 30 percent by 2022. In 2020, Nestlé was included in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, for its transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality.

“Across our value chain, we have committed to promote gender balance, within the communities we source from as it also brings Nestlé’s purpose and values to life,” the spokesperson explains. 

Some examples of initiatives that Nestlé is currently working on are: addressing gender inequality among coffee growers through its Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program; supporting women in the hazelnut supply chain through its Strong Women, Strong Farming program in Turkey; and training on gender equality to 75 cocoa farming co-operatives and supporting women who want to grow their own cocoa through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan in Côte d’Ivoire. 

“By 2020, the livelihoods of women will be improved in five priority sourcing locations. We have so far made progress toward this objective in Colombia, Pakistan, Turkey and Côte d’Ivoire,” details the spokesperson. 

“Gender equality and women’s rights, education and empowerment are critical to creating shared value for our business and for society,” they conclude.

By Elizabeth Green