Nestlé and Ofi have recently announced a groundbreaking partnership aimed at investing in regenerative agriculture to reforest land in cocoa-growing regions that have been devastated by clear-cutting and deforestation. This collaboration is estimated to reduce 1.5 million tons of carbon emissions over the next three decades.
The project will provide training and financial support to 25,000 farmers in Brazil, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast to transition to agroforestry practices and integrate climate-friendly crop residue management into their operations. The ultimate goal is to plant 2.8 million trees across 72,000 hectares, with third-party verification to ensure transparency. Planting and farmer training have already commenced in the cocoa-growing regions.
Deforestation is a critical issue in the chocolate industry, with 70% of illegal deforestation in the top cocoa-producing country, Ivory Coast, attributed to cocoa farming. Nestlé, as the largest global food company, is taking steps to enhance its sustainability credentials with this partnership with Ofi, a prominent cocoa processor. This initiative represents their largest joint cocoa agroforestry project to combat deforestation and reduce carbon emissions.
The project will focus on implementing regenerative farming practices such as planting shade trees alongside cocoa trees, composting, and mulching cocoa pod husks to enhance soil biodiversity. Ofi is utilizing an internal AI system to track the geolocation of the trees planted and monitor the amount of carbon sequestered.
Regenerative agriculture, which aims to sequester carbon from the atmosphere into the soil and improve soil health without heavy fertilizers, has become a key focus in sustainability efforts. However, it is important for these practices to be accompanied by clear goals to avoid greenwashing accusations.
Deforestation in cocoa-growing regions has led to significant biodiversity loss, with 110,000 hectares affected annually in Ivory Coast alone. Nestlé has been actively working to showcase its cocoa sustainability efforts, including the introduction of the Sustainably Sourced chocolate brand made from Rainforest Alliance-certified cocoa.
This partnership between Nestlé and Ofi represents a significant step towards addressing deforestation and promoting sustainable practices in the cocoa industry. By investing in regenerative agriculture and reforestation efforts, these companies are setting a positive example for the food industry as a whole.
