Nestlé opens new agricultural sciences institute in Switzerland, including farms in Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Thailand | Economy | News

Nestlé, at its facilities in Switzerland, has opened the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, which will help promote sustainable food systems by offering scientific solutions in agriculture. In addition to its new facilities, the institute includes a plant sciences research unit located in France and plantations in Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Thailand, as well as partnerships with research farms.

At the new institute, Nestlé experts research and develop solutions in key areas such as plant sciences, farming systems and livestock breeding.

It is based on expertise Nestlé Current Research in Coffee and Cocoa Plant Science. For many years, Nestlé botanists have been contributing to Nestlé’s plans for sustainable cocoa and coffee, the Nestlé Cocoa Plan and the Nescafé Plan – plans that also apply in Ecuador – including the recent discovery of coffees that are more resistant to disease and drought.

Plan Cacao, a Nestlé initiative that has grown from 50 to 5,000 farmers and is dedicated to soil renewal

Paul Bulcke, President of Nestlé, highlighted the direct relationships they have established with generations of farmers around the world, and emphasized that the new institute will enhance the company’s expertise, which will be used in its global network to support farming communities and protect the planet. .

“To continue to provide people with affordable, delicious, nutritious food, we need to move together to a more sustainable food system,” Bulcke emphasized.

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For his part, Jeroen Dijkman, Director of the Nestle Institute of Agricultural Sciences, explained that the aim of the new facilities is to identify promising solutions to enhance the production of nutritious raw materials while minimizing their environmental impact.

“We take a holistic approach and consider various factors such as performance impact, carbon emissions, food safety and cost, as well as the feasibility of scaling up these solutions,” he said. (YO)