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Roll Out the Nescafé Plan with Coffee Farmers

 

Nestlé’s ability to source the right quality and quantity of coffee for the Nescafé brand in Central and West Africa,
and worldwide, depends on the sustainability of coffee farming. Ageing trees, plant pests and diseases, low yields, volatile prices and climate change are just some of the threats to the livelihoods of African farmers. 

 

The Nescafé Plan is our global initiative that brings together our commitments and activities to improve our coffee supply chain, ranging from on-the-ground support for the farmers who supply us directly, to the application of plant science to improve yields and quality. 

Through the Nescafé Plan implemented in Côte d’Ivoire,
we seek to improve the living standards of coffee farmers; increase the quality and quantity of the coffee they produce; ensure responsible sourcing; Stimulating meaningful connecting with Farmers, Connecting with Communities, Connecting with the Planet and empower women and young people to become leaders in the coffee sector. 

We are working with the Rainforest Alliance, an international non-governmental organisation, which conducts training sessions for field trainers, who in turn, train farmers onsite. 

Other partners include Conseil Café-Cacao, as part of the Ivorian Ministry of Agriculture, and the National Centre for Agronomical Research (CNRA). 

The Nescafé Plan in numbers 

  • We have distributed over 5.9 million high-yield, crop-resistant coffee plantlets to farmers since 2012.
  • We officially launched the Plan in Côte d’Ivoire in 2014. 
  • There are currently 30 Nescafé Plan seedbeds & nurseries and we are working with 35 cooperatives. 
  • Over 75 team leaders from coffee producer cooperatives attended practical training on seedling and nursery management provided by the agronomy and Research and Development (R&D) department at the Nestlé experimental farm at Zambakro. 
  • Over 230 agronomists, technicians and lead farmers attended practical green coffee quality training on physical defect and cup tasting provided by NQCC department of NESCAFE factory.
  • A total of 4 Nestlé agronomists and 8 CEFCA technicians work full time in the fields and one agronomists at the R&D Centre in Abidjan. 
  • We sourced 17,239 tonnes of coffee through the Nescafé Plan in 2016, of which 16,973 tonnes were certified 4C. 
  • Over 21,220 coffee growing farmers were trained on good agricultural practices through the Nescafé Plan in Côte d’Ivoire in 2016 
  • By 2017, we aim to source 100% of 4C compliant coffee through the Plan.

Our progress 

In 2016, Nestlé sourced more than 173,000 tonnes of green coffee 4C compliant directly from farmers worldwide, and 16,973 tonnes in Côte d’Ivoire. By 2020, we also aim to distribute 220 million high-yield coffee plantlets to farmers globally, and 18 million plantlets across the region. 

As part of the Nescafé Plan, we also installed cumulative twelve demo plots in Côte d’Ivoire in 2015 to demonstrate practical farming skills to farmers. 

The plot is split into four areas: an area for current practices by farmers, one area for good agricultural practices, another area for good agricultural practices with fertilizer, and a fourth area for replanting with good agricultural practices and fertilizer. 

Zambakro Experimental Farm 

Agronomic research into soil fertility, plant nutrition and the improvement of farming systems, coffee drought resistance, as well as the distribution of cocoa plants, all have a major impact on the ability of cocoa farmers in Central and West Africa to grow more, higher-quality crops over the long-term and secure a higher income. 

About 15 permanent employees at the Zambakro Experimental Farm in Yamoussoukro focus on enhancing African raw materials and ingredients such as coffee, cocoa, cereals and roots, renewing plantations under the Nescafé Plan and the Nestlé Cocoa Plan. 

The 30-hectare site, part of R&D Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, was opened in 2013 and serves as a farmer training academy, and as an agronomy and plant sciences research centre. 

It demonstrates good agricultural, harvesting and post-harvest best practices and provides technical assistance through its soil fertility and plant sciences laboratories, training about 720 Ivorian farmers each year. 

In 2016, we propagated and distributed more than 1.5 million coffee plantlets to farmers.

NESCAFE Plan farmer: Ms. Bamba NIHIGBE Jeannette
Jeannette based in Gan 1, a widow and mother of three children who attend to school thanks
to income from coffee of their mother has a three acre coffee plantation and is part of the cooperative CA2C.

Since joining the NESCAFE Plan in 2013, she has been trained in good agricultural practices.

As results, Jeannette has increased her production from 500 kg in 2013 to over 1,300 kg in 2016; and boosted her income thanks to applying good agricultural practices. But she still has work to do in good agricultural practices which would enable her to produce potentially up to 2,500 kg.

She has received 375 coffee plants in 2015 to rejuvenate her farm.

Her revenues have also allowed her to start building her house (see photo). Jeannette is now a proud coffee farmer.