Sustainability

Building strong communities

We partner closely with communities in which we work and live to make a positive impact - growing together, side by side.

The success of our operations depends on the strength of communities that surround us. Education, land rights, wellbeing and depopulation of communities are all issues that directly affect our business. To this end, we support sustainable livelihoods and community programmes wherever we are.

Sustainable livelihoods

Land rights underpin community livelihoods. Our Responsible Land Acquisition and Leasing Policy outlines our commitment to respect legal and customary land rights of local communities and Indigenous Peoples. It also forms the basis of our support to secure and equitable rights to land and natural resources.

Empower Quilombolas peoples, Brazil

The project to encourage the production of peanuts by quilombola family farmers located in the semiarid region of the Northeast began in 2012. COFCO sought a partnership with Embrapa Algodão in order to implement scientifically-based agricultural experiments aimed at better management practices, especially focused on irrigation, since the water is a scarce resource in this region. Since then, several families have benefited directly or indirectly from the project, through active participation with the implementation of research in their area or receiving technical training through knowledge dissemination events promoted by the company. Cofco is now working on the diversification of these crops, with oil palm being the new crop chosen in our program as of this year (2021).

Rebuild livelihood after conflict, Colombia

In the mountains of Tolima, west-central Colombia, coffee is an important means of rebuilding livelihoods after years of conflict. We are working with coffee growers in this region to build drying silos, improve quality standards and apply sustainable farming practices.

Investing in our communities

Our Community Investment Policy outlines three focus areas for our community programmes:

1 Education and capacity building

Access to education for children and young people; human capital and skills development

2 Community wellbeing

Wellbeing and life quality of communities, especially those at economic or social disadvantage

3 Environmental stewardship

Awareness and capacity in environmental stewardship and nature conservation

Brazil's Guardians of Tomorrow

Our Guardians of Tomorrow programme in Brazil continues to inspire school children, their teachers and their communities to see the exciting possibilities in sustainable agriculture.

Using fun, interactive methods such as cartoons, comics and tree planting, our volunteers are helping schools convey sustainable agriculture messages to 9-11-year-olds. So far this programme has reached more than 40 schools across 38 municipalities.

Second Chance, Romania

Working with Save the Children Romania, we're helping keep vulnerable youngsters in school. The Second Chance programme offers expert counselling, after-school support, nutritional and medical support for children at risk of dropping out of school and their families. So far, we have seen positive outcomes in terms of exam results and attendance continuity into the new school year.

Supporting future musical talent, Ukraine

We sponsor the award-winning Youth Folk Orchestra of Nikolaev, Ukraine. The orchestra offers children from underprivileged families opportunities to learn to play musical instruments and access professional musical education.