Fresh Del Monte Produce has announced its participation at this year’s World Biodiversity Summit, occurring alongside the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15).
Del Monte’s chief sustainability officer Hans Sauter will join industry leaders in a panel discussion on 'Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture at the Center of Development Strategies - Challenges and Opportunities',
This will be a conversation centered around how to transition the industry toward more resilient agricultural practices in a warming world, while maintaining global food security, with innovation and technology as integral components.
The company said it had long been working to support the communities and ecosystems that are key to its future by creating a system where agriculture production and biodiversity work and thrive together.
The World Biodiversity Summit in Glasgow, UK on 10 November, marks a critical opportunity to address the important role the private sector has in responding to the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, Del Monte outlined.
“It is extremely important to me to be able to represent Fresh Del Monte’s initiatives at the World Biodiversity Summit and COP26,” said Sauter, who also works as senior vice-president of research and development in addition to his role as chief sustainability officer.
“Time is of the essence, and it is vital for different stakeholders in society to come together to identify and implement game-changing solutions to stimulate food production, while conserving biodiversity and addressing climate change,' he continued. 'As one of the largest integrated producers, marketers, and distributors of fresh produce, we want to lead change. We believe that as an agricultural company, we can be an integral part of the solution.
'However, we cannot do it alone,' Sauter added. 'With our pledge to implement regenerative farming and soil-health management in all our farms and associated growers’ farms by 2030, we hope to inspire every member of the supply chain (farmers, retailers and consumers) to also do their part.”
Some of Fresh Del Monte’s efforts toward building 'A Brighter World Tomorrow' include conserving and restoring forests and wild areas to protect biodiversity in and around its farms - amounting to 28 per cent of its owned land - preserving soil health, stewarding critical water sources, and providing quality education and scholarships for students throughout their growing regions.
