This week, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) and VEGA Member Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) have announced a new partnership program:Feed the Future Nigeria and Nestlé Maize Quality Improvement Partnership (M-QIP)to help address the issue of crop contamination prevalent in the cultivation of maize.
The new partnership is expected to reach20,000 smallholder farmers—including 40 percent women and other agro-industry entrepreneurs within the value chain, leading to an increase in supply of better quality maize and soybean by at least 17,000 metric tons annually helping to improve the livelihoods of these farmers.
This partnership reinforces Nestlé commitment to rural development as part of its creating shared value strategy. Nestlé’s rural development framework is designed to identify the status and needs of farmers and farming communities we source from, to provide them with agricultural support and capacity building to increase yields, crop quality and income level. Nestlé aims to ensure that its operations have a positive impact on its suppliers and the communities they live in.
