The Ceres and World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) AgWater Challenge has been joined by two more organisations – Danone North America and Ingredion.
Launched in 2016, the AgWater Challenge encourages better water stewardship among the world’s most influential food and beverage companies. With the global food sector using 70% of the world’s freshwater supply, food and beverage companies play an important role in protecting water quality and supply.
In August, the AgWater Challenge released a new area of focus, calling on companies to go a step further by committing to sustainable agriculture principles that create a positive effect on water resources via soil health and nutrient management practices. These practices have been shown to support crop productivity, reduce erosion, increase water holding capacity, promote biodiversity, improve water quality and, in many cases, increase soil carbon levels. Furthermore, the commitments also detail how companies will support farmers and advocate for collective actions that are key components to improving local water outcomes.
With these two commitments, the AgWater Challenge has facilitated an additional 1.1 million acres, over the next ten years, of land to be farmed with water stewardship and sustainable agriculture in mind.
The new commitments from Danone North America and Ingredion build on previously made commitments from other AgWater Challenge participants including Target, Driscoll’s, Diageo, General Mills, Hormel Foods, Kellogg Company, and PepsiCo. This is the second AgWater Challenge Commitment for Danone North America. Since committing to advance their sustainable water sourcing strategies, the original AgWater Challenge companies have made significant strides in engaging with farmers and suppliers across their value chain, sourcing responsibly, and reducing their overall exposure to water risks
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