Mapping our farmer programmes

Project Focus: helping cocoa farmers gain Rainforest Alliance certification

Project reach: 16,800 smallholder farmers

Crop: cocoa

Brand/s: Magnum, Ben & Jerry's, Cornetto, Breyers

Unilever has helped over 16,000 smallholder cocoa growers to gain Rainforest Alliance certification – a scheme that recognises farms that are managed to the standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), including environmental protection, economic viability, and improved social standards for farmers, farm workers, and their families.

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements.

Project focus: improving agricultural practices

Project reach: 563,031 farmers as well as their families

Crop: tea

Brand/s: Lipton, PG Tips, Brooke Bond, Lyons & others

Over 560,000 smallholder farmers in Kenya have met the standards required for Rainforest Alliance certification. This is the result of a collaboration between Unilever, the Rainforest Alliance and the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA). Further to certification, Unilever is also working with KTDA and IDH to run Farmer Field Schools to help share best agricultural practices, increase yield, and improve quality. By the end of 2015, over 2,500 Farmer Field Schools had been established, which had trained over 77,000 lead farmers.

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

• Support Activities

  We have been directly involved in agronomic support activities targeted at the farmers.

Project focus: increasing incomes for allanblackia farmers in Tanzania

Project reach: 5,500 farmers and collectors

Unilever's role in the Allanblackia partnership has brought about a substantial increase in the number of allanblackia trees planted by smallholders in Tanzania since 2006. These trees require time to grow and are expected to start delivering significant additional allanblackia oil beyond 2020. The fruit of the allanblackia tree, which is commonly found in rainforests, is rich in oil, but has been ‘wild harvested'. Through the partnership, Unilever is helping the transition from wild harvesting to the sustainable domestication of the tree, in a supply chain, which conserves biodiversity and brings benefit to local communities.

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

• Investment

  We pay premiums to suppliers for investment in farmer replanting/agronomy programmes.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

• Support Activities

  We have been directly involved in agronomic support activities targeted at the farmers.

Project focus: creating jobs linked to Unilever Tea Tanzania’s estates

Project reach: 30,000 people

Crop: tea

Brand/s: PG Tips, Lipton, Joko, Brooke Bond & others

Working in partnership with the government of Tanzania, Unilever is helping secure sustainable and improved livelihoods for thousands of smallholder tea farmers in the Mufindi and Njombe regions of Tanzania. Overall, 5,000 new jobs are expected to be created on Unilever's Tanzanian tea estates, while 6,000 hectares of smallholder tea farms will also be developed and improved.

In 2015, Unilever worked with over 1,200 existing smallholder farmers and 200 hectares of new tea has been planted. In the next planting season, starting in December 2015, an additional 300 hectares of tea is expected to be planted. Our partners, The Wood Foundation, Gatsby Charitable Foundation, and UK Department for International Development (DFID), supports the work in Njombe, while the project in Mufindi is with the support of IDH The Sustainable Trade Initiative.

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Support Activities

  We have been directly involved in agronomic support activities targeted at the farmers.

Project focus: health initiatives for women

Project reach: 10,000 smallholder farmers

Crop: tea

Brand/s: Lipton

At tea estates in Turkey, our work with smallholder farmers in Turkey aims to go beyond agricultural improvements. Almost 80% of the farmers are women, so we donated a scanning machine to promote the early detection of cancers, as part of a major programme and ten individual projects on sustainable tea farming since 2011.

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

• Investment

  We pay premiums to suppliers for investment in farmer replanting/agronomy programmes.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

• Planting Materials

  We have provided planting material (high yielding seed) to farmers

• Support Activities

  We have been directly involved in agronomic support activities targeted at the farmers.

Project focus: partnership to improve livelihoods

Project reach: 600+ factories, 500,000 tea estate workers, 40,000 smallholder farmers

Crop: tea

Brand/s: Red Label, Taj Mahal, 3 Roses, BB Taaza

Starting in 2012, Unilever continues to co-fund an initial five-year programme to produce around 500,000 tonnes of tea sustainably. The programme was extended until 2018 and aims to improve the lives of thousands of estate workers and smallholder farmers, covering the social, economic and environmental facets of tea growing. The project is jointly funded by Unilever, IDH, and Tata Global Beverages Ltd with Solidaridad and the Ethical Tea Partnership implementing at field-level, and as of end of 2018 608,000 tonnes of tea has been produced sustainably.

trustea is an India specific sustainability code for the tea industry. It promotes sustainable agricultural practices, protects ecosystems, compliance with code improves competitiveness and it is an opportunity for the producers to credibly demonstrate to consumers the assurance of responsible production and sourcing.

At the end of 2018, trustea had verified 586 tea estates/ factories, 546,000 tea estate workers (56% women workers) and 48.3K smallholder farmers. For more info refer www.trustea.org

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

Project focus: training smallholder farmers & tea estate workers to transform sustainable tea production

Project reach: Approx. 40,000 tea farmers and 200,000 tea estate workers

Crop: tea

Brand/s: Lipton, Brooke Bond, Emblem, Club & others

An initiative between Unilever, Pepsi Lipton International and Rainforest Alliance to drive large-scale change in the tea industry. The aim is to increase yields, income, and improve access to global markets through training thousands of farmers and estate workers in sustainable agriculture practices..

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

Project focus: female entrepreneur has enabled yield increases for many farmers

Project reach: 5,800 smallholder farmers

Crop: tomatoes

Brand/s: Kissan

Working together, Unilever and Manisha Dhatrak and her company Varun Agro have trained 3,000 smallholder famers who in turn provide 100% of the sustainably sourced tomatoes for Kissan, the Indian ketchup brand. In emerging markets, supporting smallholder farming is the most effective way of stimulating economic development and reducing poverty. The programme works with farmers to give them access to reliable contracts, better services, and training and tools, such as implementing drip irrigation. Unilever sources these tomatoes locally, helps smallholder farmers to triple their income, reduce their costs, and double their yields.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes

• Support Activities

  We have been directly involved in agronomic support activities targeted at the farmers

Project focus: integrating smallholders into quality and sustainable tea supply chains

Project reach: 16,500 smallholder farmers

Crop: tea

Brand/s: Lipton, Sariwangi, Brooke Bond, Saga & others

Working on the next stage of the programme with the support of the Rainforest Alliance and IDH the sustainable trade initiative, we are working to promote the sustainable development of the tea industry in Vietnam by building the global perception of Vietnamese as high-quality tea using a Public-Private Partnership approach. This includes, enhancing legislation, building capacity, and improving practices to increase yield and improve quality.

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

Project Focus: Driving sustainable palm oil in North Sumatra

Project reach: 63 smallholder farmers

Crop: palm oil

Brand/s: across category, including Foods & Refreshment, Home and Beauty & Personal Care

Together with IDH - the Sustainable Trade Initiative, PT Perkebunan Nusantara III Persero (PTPN III), and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), we are working to drive sustainable palm oil through the RSPO certification programme. Working with UD Lestari, a group of independent farmers, 63 farmers received the first RSPO certification in North Sumatera in 2017, of which 30% were women.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements

• Investment

  We pay premiums to suppliers for investment in farmer replanting/agronomy programmes.

• Planting Materials

  We have provided planting material (high yielding seed) to farmers

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

Project focus: technical assistance and finance training

Project reach: 9,000 farmers, including over 3,300 women growers

Crop: black soy bean

Brand/s: Bango

Unilever partnered with the Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia to help make a difference to the lives of farmers of black soy bean: a vital ingredient in the country's popular Bango soy sauce brand. A new variety of black soybean, Mallika, came out of this partnership – robust enough to withstand tough growing conditions.

The program currently covers 17 regencies in Java with eight cooperatives. In 2009, a Field School initiative launched as a methodological approach to accelerate the adoption of the Unilever Sustainable Agriculture Code (USAC). In addition, a women’s empowerment program has been introduced in the community.

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements.

Project focus: Multi-partnership to support vanilla farming communities in Madagascar

Project reach: 31,000 people in over 6,000 households

Crop: vanilla

Brand/s: Breyers, Carte D’Or

Unilever, Symrise and GIZ have joined forces with Save the Children to expand an existing smallholder farmer programme in Madagascar. The new partnership will build on the work of the last three years and help improve the livelihoods of vanilla farming communities in the Sava region.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

• Investment

  We pay premiums to suppliers for investment in farmer replanting/agronomy programmes.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

Project focus: implementing mobile technology

Project reach: 60+ smallholder farmers

Crop: coconut sugar

Brand/s: Bango

Working in partnership with Vodafone, Unilever piloted a mobile technology based platform to smallholder farmers. Through targeted SMS messages, the project aimed to help implement best practices, increase access to markets and reduce transactional costs. The pilot ran until the end of 2016.

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

Project focus: implementing mobile technology

Project reach: 621 smallholder farmers

Crop: tea

Brand/s: PG Tips, Lipton, Joko, Brooke Bond & others

Working in partnership with Vodafone, Unilever piloted a mobile technology based platform to smallholder farmers. Through targeted SMS messages, the project aimed to help implement best practices, increase access to markets and reduce transactional costs. The pilot ran until the end of 2016.

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements.

• Support Activities

  We have been directly involved in agronomic support activities targeted at the farmers.

Project: strategic partnership to improve livelihoods

Project reach: 1,000 people, including 200 farmers & their families

Crop: vetiver

Brand/s: Axe, Impulse

Together with International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), we are working to enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by improving food security, increasing yields, and diversifying income, while working to support women’s empowerment and environmental conservation. This two year project is part of the Enhancing Livelihoods Fund set up by Unilever, Oxfam, and Ford Foundation.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

Project Focus: Driving a new approach to sustainable palm oil

Project reach: approximately 1,726 smallholders

Crop: palm oil

Brand/s: across category, including Foods & Refreshment and Home & Personal Care

Unilever has signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support a jurisdictional approach to achieve sustainable palm oil at village level. The partnership is the first public-private partnership agreement among sub-national governments and an international buyer on sustainable palm oil. The certification of all the smallholders in Pangkalan Tiga would make it the first certified ‘sustainable village’ in the world for palm oil and it is the first project for RSPO certified smallholders in Indonesia outside of Sumatra.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements.

• Investment

  We pay premiums to suppliers for investment in farmer replanting/agronomy programmes.

• Planting Materials

  We have provided planting material (high yielding seed) to farmers

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

Project Focus: sustainable patchouli in Indonesia

Project reach: 2,000 smallholder farmers

Crop: patchouli

Brand/s: Comfort

In 2014, we approached our supplier, Firmenich to review the patchouli supply chain in Indonesia. Patchouli is an important crop across our home and personal care brands, and we supported Firmenich in conducting a comprehensive baseline study and developing a programme to suit current needs.

The programme launched in July 2014 and currently reaches over 300 farmers in four sourcing areas in central Java. The programme aims to reach around 2,000 farmers by 2020.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

Project focus: Innovating the coconut sugar supply chain

Project reach: 335 smallholder farmers by 2020.

Crop: Coconut Sugar

Brand/s: Bango

Together with our partners the Ford Foundation and Oxfam, we have enabled the Puter Foundation, to pilot an innovative training programme to help transfer knowledge on good agricultural practices & develop a sustainable coconut sugar processing business in Indonesia. This project aims to enhance the livelihoods of the communities and strengthen the status of women in the value chain.

• Support Activities

  We have been directly involved in
  agronomic support activities targeted at the farmers.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

Project focus: Enhancing the livelihoods of women smallholder farmers

Project reach: 250 smallholders directly impacted.

Crop: Ylang Ylang

Brand/s: Lux

We have joined forces with the Ford Foundation & Oxfam to enable our supplier Firmenich and other partners to support women smallholder farmers in the ylang-ylang essential oil value chain through the Enhancing Livelihoods Fund. Through this project, we aim to improve working conditions, train women on good agricultural practices and help diversify incomes. So far, 250 women have benefitted from the project.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements

Project Focus: Innovative model provides income diversification opportunities

Project reach: 56 agents and their helpers

Crop: cocoa

ASPEN is an innovative last-mile distribution model for rural smallholder cocoa farming communities in the Cote d’Ivoire, that combines our capabilities and networks with those of our supplier Cargill. The project leverages cooperatives to distribute high-impact products and provide income diversification opportunities for the farmers.

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

Project Focus: Encouraging better farming practices to boost yields

Project reach: 2,000 smallholder farmers

Crop: Chicory

Brand/s: Bru (coffee)

Helping chicory farmers in North India adopt sustainable agriculture practices has been instrumental in increasing productivity and crop quality, as well as the health and safety of the farmers, their families and workers. These improved farming practices have led to higher yields and, in turn, higher incomes.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements.

• Investment

  We pay premiums to suppliers for investment in farmer replanting/agronomy programmes.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

• Support Activities

  We have been directly involved in agronomic support activities targeted at the farmers.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to programmes of farmer training.

• Planting Materials

  We have provided planting material (high yielding seed) to farmers

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

Project Focus: Helping palm oil farmers increase productivity in a more sustainable way

Project reach: Several thousand (potential)

Crop: Palm oil

Brand/s: Various, across all categories

In Sumatra, we are working with independent mill PT SKIP to develop a Palm Oil Field School training programme for smallholder farmers. This focuses on the principles of no deforestation, no development on peat and no exploitation (NDPE), with the aim of helping them increase their productivity in a sustainable way.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements.

• Investment

  We pay premiums to suppliers for investment in farmer replanting/agronomy programmes.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

Project Focus: RSPO certification for Indonesia’s first independent smallholder farmer group

Project reach: Initially 360. Now, there are more than 500 RSPO certified members

Crop: Palm oil

Brand/s: Various, across all categories

In partnership with WWF Indonesia and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), we supported the certification of around 360 independent smallholder farmers in Riau, Indonesia, in 2013 and committed to purchasing GreenPalm certificates from the group until 2018.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements.

• Investment

  We pay premiums to suppliers for investment in farmer replanting/agronomy programmes.

• Support Activities

  We have been directly involved in agronomic support activities targeted at the farmers.

• Resources

  We have provided resource directly to a project of farmer training.

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

Project Focus: Palm oil traceability and certification programme

Project reach: 1,000+

Crop: Palm oil

Brand/s: Various, across all categories

In Riau, Indonesia, we are working with a government-owned mill and the World Resources Institute to increase the sustainable palm oil production of smallholder farmers. The project involves developing a traceability and certification mechanism, as well as the provision of specialist training and support.

• Environmental Savings

  We pay for technical solutions that create environmental savings and yield improvements.

• Investment

  We pay premiums to suppliers for investment in farmer replanting/agronomy programmes.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.

• Planting Materials

  We have provided planting material (high yielding seed) to farmers

• Cash Contribution

  We have contributed cash to
  programmes of farmer training.

Project Focus: Ensuring the safe use of pesticides and fertilisers to improve yields

Project reach: 862 farmers plus their families and workers

Crop: Garlic

Brand/s: Knorr

Along with our vegetable supplier partner Dongsheng Foods, we have developed a training programme to help smallholder garlic farmers adopt sustainable practices. This includes the correct method and dosage for pesticides and fertilisers, which can decrease costs and improve yields, thus increasing incomes.

• Network

  We link expert organisations to our suppliers/farmers to build, for example, pest management programmes.