The agricultural sector today faces crucial challenges for global prosperity and well-being. According to FAO estimates, by 2050, approximately 70% more food will be needed to feed a global population of over 9 billion people.
This objective, however, is set in a context marked by urgent crises – scarcity of natural resources, climate change – and geopolitical instability. In this scenario, transforming our agri-food systems towards sustainability , resilience and inclusion is a priority, requiring the synergistic collaboration of businesses, public institutions and financial actors.
There are several virtuous approaches to supporting the ecological transition of food systems; one effective path that many have already undertaken is that of regenerative agriculture , an agricultural model that aims to regenerate soil health and promote its biodiversity, creating optimal conditions for increasingly resilient agricultural systems capable of generating value over time, for individual companies and for entire supply chains.
This is precisely one of the pillars on which the sustainability strategy of Purina is based, a leading European company in the production of pet food, which since 2021 has activated initiatives in Europe aimed at promoting and implementing regenerative agricultural practices in the supply chain of cereals and vegetable proteins used as raw materials in its plants.
"As part of the Nestlé Group, Purina has launched several European initiatives related to regenerative agriculture, including the "LENs" project , currently active in Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Hungary. The program was launched in Italy in 2022 with the aim of protecting the communities in which we operate and restoring their value, considering the well-being of future generations. "LENs" has, in fact, involved the Triveneto region (Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia), which is of strategic importance for us given the presence of our production plant in Portogruaro," explains Marta Schiraldi, Safety, Health, Environment, and Sustainability Head of the Nestlé Group Italy.
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" LENs , a model developed by the English company 3Keel, is an example of how a collaborative network of various stakeholders can trigger real change in the agri-food supply chain . Purina is funding the program in several European countries. In Italy, it is being developed in collaboration with other key partners, such as the Consorzio Tutela Prosecco DOC , which was involved from the beginning of the project because many of the farmers who produce cereals in the Triveneto region, and who supply raw materials for our pet food, also cultivate vineyards," continues Marta Schiraldi . "The network also includes strategic partners such as Leone Alato, the environmental consultants at Preferred by Nature, our suppliers Cereal Docks and Serena & Manente, as well as several organizations, including CSQA and WBA Project, which recently included xFarm as a technology partner."
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Source: mediakey.it