The Kellogg Company And Walmart Partner Up In Rice Growing Initiative

By Karla Paris

Farmers of one of the world’s food staples will soon be reaping many production and sustainability benefits via a partnership between the cereal maker and the retail giant.

Rice is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population, but the rice crop is under attack by climate change and contributors to climate change impacting traditional rice-growing regions. Rice is one of the Kellogg Company’s largest expenditures. In fact, it is the company’s largest ingredient purchase, which it uses in products like Rice Krispies and Special K.  Much of the rice harvested in the world come from smallholder farmers in various parts of the world, each dealing with unique challenges to harvesting rice crops.

On May 6, the Kellogg Company announced a new collaboration with Walmart to support the livelihoods of rice growers and sustainable rice growing practices around the world.  The formal announcement was made during the Walmart Sustainable Product Expo, a three-day meeting with eight of the largest U.S.-based food companies.

The general idea of the partnership is to encourage rice growers to use less water, fertilizer, and other resources to produce a rice crop that meets Kellogg’s sustainability standards, which are in turn being influenced by Kellogg’s biggest customer — Wal-Mart.  While farmers cater to changing consumer demands, the rice industry is also working to compete in an ever-changing global marketplace. During the Walmart Expo, Kellogg announced that the company pledges to:

• Further support rice growers and rice growing communities to help smallholder rice growers advance their practices, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
• Commit to promoting and supporting initiatives with producers in every country in which Kellogg sources rice globally, that will, by 2020, lead to a 25 percent increase in the adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices.  This will improve smallholder livelihoods, enhance producer resilience, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Monitor progress and impact using a number of metrics and align this initiative with the Global Alliance on CSA, which is to be launched later this year at the United Nations Secretary General's Climate Summit in New York.

The company is also involved in collaborative initiatives with growers, suppliers, and external partners such as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) to support sustainable rice growing practices globally.

In the U.S., the LSU Rice Research Station AgCenter has been working with Kellogg’s for the past three years to develop a sustainable rice program for Louisiana growers — a mix of new practices and a recognition of sustainable techniques already in place.