To mitigate water risks and increase the availability of quality basmati rice, Mars developed a program to decrease water usage and improve farming practices for Punjabi rice farmers, in partnership with Rice Partners Ltd (RPL). The three-step approach is: 1. Educate farmers about alternative practices that need fewer inputs to produce higher quality and yield. The aim was to involve 500 farmers initially, to demonstrate the benefits. 2. Engage farmers as ambassadors for change, encouraging others to adopt similar practices. 3. Drive wide-scale adoption through peer outreach to farmers outside the RPL program. Mars conducted a baseline assessment of current farming practices in conjunction with Rice Partners Ltd., International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Helvetas. This assessment was audited under the Sustainable Rice Platform standard. The expected results from the program are a 30% reduction in water use, effectively decreasing sensitivity to droughts and other climatological factors. We expect a total saving of 1.5 billion m3 of water. In 2016, we achieved a major milestone by sourcing all our basmati rice from SRP farmers – about 10% of Mars Food’s total rice needs. We hope that by 2018, 15,000 (2% of basmati farmers) will implement the new techniques, and 700,000 by 2021. The program is also expected to lead to a 50% or greater reduction in greenhouse gases and a 30% increase in farmers’ net income. Mars Food is a member of the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP). With partners including IRRI and Helvetas, we have identified further water efficiency practices in line with the SRP standard. These will initially be implemented by around 500 farmers in Pakistan, with a view to rolling out the SRP standard in all our rice supply chains.

Project Results