PepsiCo organizes “Sustainable Farming Program Road Show”
Lahore: As part of PepsiCo’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, the company organized the “Sustainable Farming Program Road Show” to promote sustainable farming practices for its potato farmers located in district Kasur. The “Sustainable Farming Program” (SFP) is part of PepsiCo’s ‘Next Generation Agriculture’ strategy which aims to drive progress in making agriculture more resilient, intelligent and inclusive.
Agriculture is the foundation of the food system and the root of PepsiCo’s business. To make their foods and beverages, PepsiCo uses more than 25 crops sourced across 60 countries and supports over 100,000 jobs in and throughout their agricultural supply chain. This scale and reach means that the standards and practices that PepsiCo employs and promotes can influence the environmental, social and economic impacts of agriculture around the world.”
PepsiCo engages with growers with farms of all sizes and types around the world in order to encourage continual improvement in sustainable farming practices, ensuring respect for workers’ human rights, enhancing growers’ capabilities, addressing health and safety protocols. PepsiCo works with farmers to provide education on field agronomy, fertilizers, irrigation, plant protection techniques and new technologies, supporting them to adapt best practice to fit the crop and local circumstances.
The SFP Road Show showcased global best practices in sustainable farming, so that PepsiCo potato growers can employ those processes and techniques at the farm level in order to become more sustainable. The event consisted of video screenings imparting knowledge about the company’s commitment to sustainability, as well as demonstrations of high efficiency irrigation systems (HEIS; including drip and sprinkler systems) and their benefits for both crop-yields as well as for the environment. The demonstrations were conducted on a PepsiCo grower’s model farm in Kasur, where growers had the opportunity to see how sustainable practices improved both quantity as well as quality of potato crop yield.
The event was attended by 40 growers. sensitization on the importance of clean water, sanitation and hygiene were also part of the event. Demonstration on waste management techniques and better living conditions for farm workers through better pay and housing accommodation were stressed upon.
Zahid Saleem, head of PepsiCo Agriculture Supply Chain said, “Engagement with farmers is the driving force behind our sustainable agriculture program. The purpose of opening this demonstration farm to other local farmers is to enable peer-to peer learning and promote the wider adoption of sustainable farming practices”.
PepsiCo aims to expand SFP across 7 million acres to increase responsible agricultural practices, improve crop yields and growers’ livelihoods, and advance respect for workers’ fundamental human rights.
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