Walmart California

US retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has launched a new global commitment to sustainable agriculture that it says will help small and medium-sized farmers expand their businesses, get more income for their products and reduce the environmental impact of farming.

According to the group, its global sustainable agricultural programme will also strengthen local economies and provide customers with long-term access to affordable, high-quality fresh food.

'More than 1bn people around the world rely on farming and hundreds of millions of them live on less than US$2 a day,' said Walmart president and CEO Mike Duke. 'Globally, with a booming population, food production must increase by roughly 70 per cent to feed 9bn people in 2050.

'Through sustainable agriculture, Walmart is uniquely positioned to make a positive difference in food production – for farmers, communities and their customers,' he added. 'Our efforts will help increase farmer income, lead to a more efficient use of pesticides, fertiliser and water, and provide fresher produce for our customers.'

The strategy is broken into three main areas, each containing specific supporting goals to help the company keep track and report on the progress of the initiative.

'Supporting farmers and their communities' will be achieved by selling US$1bn in food sourced from 1m small and medium farmers, providing training, increasing farmer income by 10-15 per cent and doubling sales of locally sourced produce in the US.

In the 'Produce more food with fewer resources and less waste' category, goals include accelerating the agriculture focus of the Sustainability index, investing more than US$1bn in Walmart's global fresh supply chain over the next five years, and reducing food waste in emerging market stores and clubs by 15 per cent and 10 per cent in other markets by the end of 2015.

The final category, 'Sustainably source key agriculture products', will see focuses on palm oil and beef that limit the impact of greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation.

To help reach these goals, Walmart has also established country-specific commitments, such as sourcing 50 per cent of its fresh produce through its Direct Farm Programme in India, upgrading 15 per cent of Direct Farm products from Green to Organic certified in China, and reducing in-store waste by 35 per cent while increasing the number of produce farmers it sources from directly from 15,000 to 17,000 in Japan.