agribusinessreview.comDECEMBER 20239a picture of the changes we were helping to drive acre-by-acre, and so offer our most sustainability-minded customers the ability to meet their sustainability ambitions and ESG reporting needs. Our latest results show good progress on the program's retained acres - 1.09 million acres, representing 1,400 growers. We have helped growers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5%, soil quality has also improved by 2%, as measured by the Soil Conditioning Index, and wind erosion was reduced by 64%.Last year, when we completed the sale of a majority stake in our Primary Products business unit in the Americas, enabling us to focus on specialty food and drink ingredients, management of the U.S. sustainable corn program passed to Primient, the new business formed from the sale. Tate & Lyle remains a dedicated partner in the program and we are excited to share the latest results on our enrolled acres, representing 100% of the corn we procure, in the coming months. Supporting an agricultural sector in its infancyIn parallel to the program for corn, we also established a science-focused sustainable agriculture program in China for growers of stevia. Stevia is a plant with sweet-tasting leaves, and as the global leader in low- and no-calorie sweeteners, we extract the sweet component parts of the leaf to create our portfolio of stevia ingredients. The stevia sector has been active in China, where most of the world's stevia is grown, for less than half a century, which is in stark contrast to corn, which has been grown for more than ten thousand years. With this comparative infancy comes a significant opportunity to develop and embed regenerative agronomic best practices and ensure the industry, farmers and local communities that rely on it thrive.Working with environmental charity Earthwatch Europe and Nanjing Agricultural University in Eastern China, we have taken a phased approach to build understanding about the specific environmental impacts of stevia cultivation in different growing regions in China. Our stevia life-cycle-analysis in 2019 collected data from 29 stevia farms in China assessing 73 variables including soil health, farming practices, yield and farmer profiles.In Dongtai, Jiangsu Province, East China, an area where Tate & Lyle sources stevia, we found that stevia growers tend to operate small-scale farms growing a variety of crops, have a female bias, and use synthetic fertilizer and pesticides. The pilot that followed demonstrated that slow-release fertilizers present farmers with the opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting the number of applications and total quantity of fertilizer used. A reduction of 60­80% of fertilizer and fertilizer optimization was found to provide not only environmental but also productivity benefits.Following the successful pilot, which showed recommended changes delivering positive results across all nine environmental categories measured against a baseline, we have since expanded our program in Dongtai. Through workshops and on-farm support, growers have been upskilled around the targeted use of slow-release fertilizers, as well as conducting and interpreting soil and water samples. Building understanding around soil health is critical to helping growers make informed decisions on the farm to ensure a more successful crop and minimize environmental impact. Lessons on sustainable agriculture partnerships With a retention rate of 73% in the U.S. corn program, we know that participating farmers see value in a sustainability data-driven approach and the benefits it offers to build a more sustainable future for their farms. With a program of this scale, inevitably it takes time to move the needle on emissions, but we are pleased that since its launch it has made steady progress across most environmental indicators. Importantly, we have made sure to move at a pace that suits participating growers and recognizes the wider environment they operate in, including the many challenges posed by the pandemic.In China, our relationships with the farmer community have deepened over time and farmer feedback shows that taking time to meet them where they are and bring them on this journey with us has been the right approach. While we are still assessing the results of our expanded program, the initial findings indicate significant positive environmental and productivity benefits. One farmer participant sharing her experiences at our farmer workshop in February explained how using more sustainable slow-release fertilizer in a more targeted way has reduced her fertilizer and time costs, while increasing stevia leaf yield by around 6%. We are delighted that our efforts in both programs to date have helped demonstrate to our supply chain partners the productivity and economic gains they can access through more sustainable practices. At Tate & Lyle, in line with our purpose, we are big believers in the role that science and technology will play in finding solutions that address society's biggest challenges
< Page 8 | Page 10 >