Nestlé to support regenerative, low-emission agriculture in Vietnam

Nestlé Vietnam has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to support the country’s transition to regenerative and low-emission agriculture.

The three-year deal, signed Tuesday, will help Vietnam move towards sustainable agriculture and its 2050 net zero emissions target. The collaboration’s initiatives and activities will be implemented through the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in Vietnam (PSAV), co-chaired by both sides.

Nestlé Vietnam said it will work with the ministry to share and advance regenerative farming practices for coffee growers as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions and increase farms’ resilience to climate change.

“We want to transition to ecological and low-emission agriculture to help Vietnam achieve its net zero goal,” Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri said at the signing ceremony.

“Strengthening the public-private partnership with businesses that are at the forefront of sustainability will contribute to more sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture in Vietnam,” he added.

As part of the signing ceremony, an agroforestry and reforestation project in the Central Highlands was inaugurated. The project aims to plant and grow over 2.3 million forest and fruit trees on coffee farms in the Central Highlands by 2027. It is estimated that these trees will sequester 480,000 tons of carbon emission over five years.

“Agriculture within our supply chains accounts for more than two-thirds of our total greenhouse gas emissions,” said Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider.

“As one of our key coffee sourcing origins, Vietnam is a major priority for us. We are committed to helping coffee farmers in the country transition to regenerative agriculture to improve livelihoods and address climate change through our Nescafé Plan. We are also working to restore Vietnam’s forests and natural ecosystems,” Schneider said.

Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverages corporation, has said it aims to plant 200 million trees within its sourcing landscapes globally by 2030. The reforestation program is a key part of its Net Zero Roadmap.