Walmart ramps up sustainable farming goals

GLOBAL retailer Walmart launched its new global commitment to sustainable agriculture that it said will help small and medium-sized farmers expand their businesses, get more income for their products, and reduce the environmental impact of farming, whilst strengthening local economies and providing customers around the world with long-term access to affordable, high-quality, fresh food. By the end of 2015 in emerging markets, Walmart will help many small and mid-sized farmers gain access to markets by selling $1 billion in food sourced from 1 million small and medium farmers; providing training to 1 million farmers and farm workers in such areas as crop selection and sustainable farming practices-the company expects half of those trained to be women; and increasing the income of the small and medium farmers it sources from by 10 to 15 per cent. For the first time, Walmart said it would also ask suppliers about the water, energy, fertiliser and pesticide they use per unit of food produced. Walmart will also focus on two of the major contributors to global deforestation, palm oil and beef production. It will require sustainably sourced palm oil for all Walmart private brand products globally by the end of 2015, and expand the already existing practice of Walmart Brazil of only sourcing beef that does not contribute to the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest to all of our companies worldwide by the end of 2015.Adidas