Honoring farmers in the journey of sustainable agricultural development

(Chinhphu.vn) - Nestlé Vietnam recently organized a seminar on "The role of farmers in regenerative agriculture" at Nestlé Tri An Factory, Dong Nai Province. Gathering 60 outstanding farmers and accompanying staff in the NESCAFÉ Plan program, the event aimed to honor pioneering farmers, promote sustainable coffee farming communities, and develop modern agriculture with farmers at the center.

Mr. Binu Jacob - General Director of Nestlé Vietnam gave a welcoming speech to the delegation of outstanding farmers visiting the factory - Photo: VGP/MT

At the seminar, typical farmers shared their farming experiences and good agricultural practices being applied locally. This was also an opportunity for farmers to look back on their journey of transitioning to regenerative agriculture, applying science and technology and digital transformation in sustainable coffee farming with the guidance and support of Nestlé agricultural support staff.

Mr. Binu Jacob, General Director of Nestlé Vietnam Company said: "At Nestlé, we always put people at the center of our sustainable development journey. Therefore, the NESCAFÉ Plan program is a long-term commitment to accompany farmers in applying regenerative agriculture, improving income and quality of life. Nestlé is proud to cooperate with dedicated farmers, together creating sustainable values ​​for the Vietnamese coffee industry and for future generations."

Also within the framework of this program, farmers also visited the production process and modern coffee processing technology at Nestlé Tri An Factory, directly experienced product testing and interacted with the team of engineers and operating specialists here. This activity helped farmers better understand the journey of Vietnamese coffee beans from farm to finished product, exported to nearly 40 markets around the world , including Europe, Japan, Korea and the US.

Typical farmers of the NESCAFÉ Plan program visited the production process and learned about the types of coffee beans exported by Nestlé Tri An factory. Photo: VGP/MT

Mr. Truong Hoang Phuong, Director of Nestlé Tri An factory, affirmed that farmers are not only an important link in the coffee supply chain, but also a bridge to bring Vietnamese coffee beans to the world. In fact, to have a high-quality coffee product, in addition to a modern production system and strict control process at the factory, the core factor is still the quality of input materials. It can be said that farmers are the starting point of quality, and the factory is the place to spread that value globally.

Having been involved with NESCAFÉ Plan since the very first days, Mr. Dao Duy Quynh, a farmer representative in Gia Lai province, said: "Participating in NESCAFÉ Plan has helped me completely change the way I farm. From traditional farming, we learned how to apply science and technology to sustainable coffee production by applying Regenerative Agriculture practices, managing households with digital technology and better income for coffee farmers. When I directly visited the Nestlé Tri An factory, I felt more clearly the value of Vietnamese coffee beans produced, processed and packaged according to modern processes to reach the world. This is our pride and also the motivation for us to continue farming sustainably, contributing to the development of the Vietnamese coffee industry."

Typical farmers of the NESCAFÉ Plan program visited the production process and learned about the types of coffee beans exported by Nestlé Tri An factory. Photo: VGP/MT

Since 2011, Nestlé Vietnam has been collaborating with the Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute (WASI), local Agricultural Extension Centers, and partners to implement the NESCAFÉ Plan. The program aims to support farmers in the transition to regenerative agriculture, helping to increase productivity, protect the ecological environment, save water, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

To date, the Program has conducted more than 467,000 training sessions on sustainable coffee cultivation for farming households, supported seedlings for an average of over 21,000 farming households each year in the period 2011-2023, distributed more than 86 million high-yield, pest-resistant, drought-resistant seedlings to help replant more than 86,000 hectares of old coffee areas. By applying regenerative agriculture coffee cultivation methods, the program has helped farmers save up to 40-60% of irrigation water, reduce 20% of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and increase income by 30-150%.

Minh Thi

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/ton-vinh-nguoi-nong-dan-trong-hanh-trinh-phat-trien-nong-nghiep-ben-vung-102251031174346299.htm