Rabobank announces its global activation program, ‘Kickstart Food’, to accelerate the transition to a sustainable food supply. One of the first steps in this program will be the launch of a one billion dollar facility to initiate land restoration and forest protection initiatives.
Focus on four food issues
The facility is being launched in partnership with UN Environment. It marks the start of a three-year initiative to kick-start and scale up Rabobank’s support for clients and partners in the transition to a more sustainable food and agricultural sector. The Kickstart Food initiative has four key focus areas: Earth, Waste, Stability and Nutrition. This facility is part of the first focus area: Earth, which is centered on sustainable and environmentally sound food production. The Waste program will focus on reducing food waste throughout the food supply chain. The Stability program aims to create a more stable and resilient food and agricultural sector. The Nutrition program will focus on ensuing a healthy and balanced diet for everyone.
Mission Critical Initiative
Chairman of the Executive Board Wiebe Draijer: “Our global lead role in financing food production urges us to accelerate developments on the sustainable food supply. With our knowledge, networks and financing capabilities we aim to further motivate and facilitate clients in adopting a more sustainable food production practice globally. We are proud of this major initiative with the UN Environment. We will engage others to expand the initiative. It fits very well with our mission of Growing a better world together.”
New Zealand
Rabobank New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Daryl Johnson said: “Rabobank works closely with our clients in New Zealand’s food and agribusiness sector to support them in developing initiatives which tackle some of the most pressing issues facing food production and agriculture.
“The global Kickstart Food program will enable us to scale up that support considerably in one initial key focus area - improving the health of New Zealand’s waterways.
“The bank already has a strong focus on this area and we are engaged in a number of activities to help our clients and the wider industry to address water quality issues. In recent years this has included the development of a number of research reports on this topic, support for local catchment groups, as well as the running of practical workshops for small groups of farmers to help them better understand the water quality issue and to get them up to speed on new regulations and on-farm environmental practices.”
“We’re currently considering new initiatives in this area and details of these will be confirmed in the coming months.
“Kickstart Food is a long term commitment for the bank and further focus areas may be added to this program in the future.”
Commitment to SDG
With this mission, Rabobank embraces the UN Sustainable Development Goals. With the world’s population growing towards 9 billion, the decline in available arable land, and the impact of agriculture on climate change and the environment; food production is now at a critical juncture. Therefore, Rabobank is increasing its support for efforts to increase food production by at least 60% towards 2050 while reducing the sector’s environmental footprint by 50%.
Around the globe, Rabobank is actively promoting sustainability certification for its clients. The bank is also advising them on sustainable production methods and soil management. The facility together with UN Environment aims to offer grants and open the door for clients to initiate large scale land restoration and forest protection projects. It positively affects their risk profile, which leads to easier access to loans.
Building on Existing Initiatives
Significant progress has already been made in many areas by Rabobank. For example, in Brazil Rabobank has been promoting and financing Integrated Crop, Livestock and Forestry (ICLF) farming. Working with the World Wildlife Fund and local partners we will endeavor to restore underutilized or degraded arable land under the management of Brazilian farmers owning 17 million hectares (42 million acres).
Together with clients and influential partners such as UN Environment, the WWF and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Rabobank will increase and scale similar efforts around the world. A kickstart with Justdiggit will be prepared in Africa.
This joint effort with UN Environment is designed to be an open platform for others to join. Rabobank invites stakeholders from across the entire food and agricultural sector to join the Kickstart Food program.
Find out more
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand is a part of the global Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has nearly 120 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 40 countries, servicing the needs of approximately 8.6 million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank Australia & New Zealand is one of Australasia’s leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 94 branches throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Media contacts:
David Johnston
Marketing & Media Relations Manager
Rabobank New Zealand
Phone: 04 819 2711 or 027 477 8153
Email: david.johnston@rabobank.com
Denise Shaw
Head of Media Relations
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
Phone: +612 8115 2744 or +61 2 439 603 525
Email: denise.shaw@rabobank.com
