PepsiCo Global launches new initiative to support agriculture globally, including Egypt

PepsiCo Global has announced the launch of a new impact-driven initiative that aims to spread regenerative farming practices across 7 million acres, approximately equal to its entire agricultural footprint, amid the global increasing attention towards achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), including in Egypt.

The company estimates the initiative to eliminate at least 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by the end of the decade.

Over the past years, PepsiCo Egypt announced its’ commitment to positively impacting Egypt’s farming communities and has developed various programs in this regard.

This included developing the second largest agriculture programme among PepsiCo Global’s system, producing 400,000 tons of potatoes yearly which are 100 percent cultivated by Egyptian farmers.

Moreover, PepsiCo Egypt worked on an advanced seeds programme, now 65 percent of its seeds are produced locally, and it is planning to reach 80 percent by 2024.

It also has two main agricultural programmes, namely ‘She Feeds the World’ and ‘Chipsy –USAID’, which aim to deliver sustainable growth of potato farming and assist smallholder farmers to increase crop quality and yields, achieve self-sufficiency, and increase access to the resources they need — including land, seeds, and water.

Following its success, PepsiCo Egypt renewed its partnership with USAID for the second year in a row, and over the next three years, they will expand the programme’s activities to farmers in 3 governorates and plan to reach 2,500 farmers.

On the other hand, the She Feeds the World programme, which gives a special focus on women empowerment and integrating them into the agricultural value chain, aims to reach 390,000 beneficiaries in 3 years, with total investments of EGP 60 million.

“Agriculture has always been at the heart of our snacks business. Over the past 70 years, developing the agricultural sector has been and will continue to be on top of our priorities, being a core asset to the food industries sector and a major and vibrant component of the Egyptian economy”, said CEO of PepsiCo Egypt Mohamed Shelbaya.

He added that the company is targeting creating a sustainable agriculture system to increase food production in a reliable manner, ensure food security, and improve livelihoods in rural areas to complement the Egyptian government’s moves in the field of sustainable development.