MADAGASCAR – American multinational food manufacturing company, Kellogg Company has partnered with German flavour and fragrance manufacturer, Symrise, to undertake a three-year project in Madagascar, targeted to promote responsibly sourcing 100 % of Kellogg’s vanilla by 2020.
In 2019, Kellogg joined the growing “Symrise and Friends” family of private sector partners. They work together to deliver synergistic benefits for the vanilla farming communities and the biodiverse environment in which they live.
The partnership is scaling up for greater impact with the other program partners including Unilever, GIZ and Save the Children.
The joint venture will provide ongoing engagement and training for over 1,000 smallholder vanilla farmers in Ankavanana, Madagascar, as the companies aim to improve their livelihoods and protect their environment.
Through working closely with the farmers, the companies aim to teach good agricultural practices and budget/cash flow management.
According to Symrise, this will empower farmers to run their farms in a sustainable way and be more financially resilient in a volatile market.
“The program drives impact directly at the source of vanilla farming via our integrated supply chain,” said Yannick Leen, Global Competence Director Vanilla, Symrise.
“The partnership highlights the value of our active and collaborative year round presence in this unique region. In turn, it ensures the highest quality vanilla, brings certainty and creates shared value for farmers, as well as ensuring sustainability of supply,” he added.
Kellogg brings extensive experience of Climate Smart Agriculture to the project.
“Responsibly sourcing our ingredients means making a difference from the very start. That’s why we’re working closely with the farmers who grow them,” said Kellogg Company Chief Sustainability Officer Amy Senter.
“Farmers like those in Madagascar aren’t just growing vanilla for people around the world, they’re cultivating healthy soils, diverse ecosystems and strong communities. And across Kellogg, we want to help them do even more.”
Symrise holistic approach also includes training and education within the communities and the introduction of alternative crops such as patchouli, vetiver and ginger, which adds diversity and mitigates risk.
The farmers also learn to apply Climate Smart Agriculture practices to the cultivation of rice, the major subsistence crop for the Malagasy people.
Symrise in Europe and Madagascar worked with Kellogg’s teams in Battle Creek, Michigan, USA and Sydney, Australia, with financial support from the Bridging the Gap, SDG Compact with GIZ with match-funding provided by BMZ.
‘’This partnership has further solidified our strong relationship with Kellogg and helps to enhance the global profile of projects which are essential to the quality and sustainability of our agriculture and can also change attitudes across the world.’ says Yannick Leen.
‘We look forward to building on this and many other relationships as we help to create a more sustainable future,’ he concluded.
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