USA – The American food processor, Tyson Foods and environmental advocacy group, EDF (Environmental Defence Fund) have launched a partnership to accelerate sustainable food production.

The deal seeks to develop and deploy initiatives that will ensure sustainable and enough food production, while putting in regard the environmental and social issues.

According to Tyson, the partnership supports its sustainability strategy and help meet increasing consumer demand for more sustainably grown food.
Together, the two companies will work on a land stewardship project with an aim to pilot and scale agriculture practices on 500,000 acres of corn that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), improve water quality and maximize farmer profitability.

“Developing a sustainable food system is important to our business and the planet,” said Justin Whitmore, executive vice president of continuous improvement and chief sustainability officer, Tyson Foods.

“Joining forces with EDF enables us to bring together the best of our joint expertise in supply chains and sustainable agriculture, and deliver value to growers, businesses and the environment.”

Enhancing environment-friendly practices

The partnership supports Tyson Food’s Land Stewardship goal to bring in improved environmental practices on two million acres of corn by the end of 2020. 

The initiative is expected to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by the company’s supply chain.

It builds the company’s relationship with farmers from which it buys corn and soybeans to feed its poultry or cattle and hogs.

The pilot will use cloud-based agricultural technologies from MyFarms and Farmers Business Network (FBN) to inform sustainability practices at the field level.

MyFarms and Farmers Business Network will work to enrol farmers in the initial sustainable agriculture project. 

Farmers Business Network will be providing this opportunity to its 7,600 members who are looking for new ways to continue their commitment to sustainable agriculture.

Farmers enrolled in MyFarms will also have the opportunity to pilot a new scientific method, based on extensive research compiled by EDF, for calculating nitrogen loss.

“If the largest U.S. food company can prove the viability of farming practices that are good for the planet and for profits, it would be a game changer,” said Jenny Ahlen, director of the EDF Business supply chain program.

“We’re using scientific analysis to measure the benefits of sustainable farming practices, help companies like Tyson evaluate the impact of their sustainability initiatives, and inspire transparency across the supply chain.”