A jaguar strides through the trees as farmers continue to harvest at the edge of a pineapple farm in Fresh del Monte, Costa Rica.
Here, on a farm next to the El Tigre Mountain Private Wildlife Reserve in Buenos Aires, Puntarenas, forest and farmland are intertwined through the strategic use of biological corridors. These animal-filled sections adjacent to farmland allow for a continuous flow of wildlife, including many endangered species.
“About 30% of our land is set aside for conservation,” Hans Sauter, Del Monte’s chief sustainability officer, said in an interview with Agriculture Dive. “And we’ve increased that level of effort by not only putting that aside, but also bringing in expert advice to monitor the health of these ecosystems.”
Preliminary research has found that conservation efforts not only help wildlife, but also contribute to their conservation. According to the company, the diversity of flora and fauna is extremely high. 2021 Sustainability Report.
Although many agricultural giants don’t own their own assets, about half of the produce sold at Fresh Del Monte comes from farms they own. This has allowed the company to experiment with regenerative practices, from biological corridors to composting to the introduction of cover crops.
Sustainability in tropical fruit production has received less attention, funding, and research than large row crops such as corn and soybeans. As a result, Fresh Del Monte has stepped up its efforts to address these gaps by forging unique partnerships with environmental organizations and governments.
“We have a huge advantage and opportunity to be the first to test things and demonstrate that they are really beneficial for specific crops,” Sauter said.
So far, these regeneration experiments have yielded excellent results.About 30% of its farms now employ regenerative practices, the produce giant reported. 26% of the total Scope 1 and 2 emissions will decrease in 2022.
Beyond the wildlife corridor, Fresh Del Monte has spent significant time innovating aspects of its operations to promote sustainability and efficiency. For example, much of the company’s emissions reductions are due to changes in fertilizer usage, fuel consumption, and feed.
In the future, the company plans to roll out many of the practices used on its own farms to its suppliers. Currently, about 17% of semi-croppers practice regenerative and soil health management, and Del Monte aims to expand it to all his farms by 2030.
“We want to implement these practices with our own suppliers,” Hauter said. “Testing practices on our own farms gives us the moral authority to speak to our suppliers from a different perspective.”
