Tyson aims to boost sustainable food output through new deal

Tyson Foods has joined forces with US non-profit organisation Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in a move to accelerate sustainable food production.

The partnership’s first project focuses on land stewardship and aims to pilot and scale agriculture practices on 500,000 acres of corn that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality and maximise farmer profitability.

Tyson said this effort will help it meet its land stewardship goal of working with farmers to improve environmental practices across 2 million acres of corn production by 2020.

The pilot will use cloud-based agricultural technologies from MyFarms and Farmers Business Network (FBN), both of which collect information on agricultural production practices. Insights from the analysis of that data will inform sustainability practices at field level.

MyFarms and Farmers Business Network will work to enrol farmers in the initial sustainable agriculture project. Farmers Business Network will be providing this opportunity to its 7,600 members who are looking for new ways to continue their commitment to sustainable agriculture.

Farmers enrolled in MyFarms will also have the opportunity to pilot a new scientific method, based on extensive research compiled by EDF, for calculating nitrogen loss.

Tyson Foods chief sustainability officer Justin Whitmore said: “Developing a sustainable food system is important to our business and the planet. Joining forces with EDF enables us to bring together the best of our joint expertise in supply chains and sustainable agriculture, and deliver value to growers, businesses and the environment.” 

Jenny Ahlen, director of the EDF+Business supply chain programme, said: “We’re using scientific analysis to measure the benefits of sustainable farming practices, help companies like Tyson evaluate the impact of their sustainability initiatives and inspire transparency across the supply chain.”

Charles Baron, co-founder of Farmers Business Network, added: “Farmers are the most important stewards of the land, and it’s vital they have tools and markets to farm sustainably and be profitable doing so. FBN is committed to finding new opportunities for crop farmers to develop markets for sustainable practices.”