Mars purchases around seven million tonnes of agricultural commodities every year. Farming First TV interviewed John Cordaro, Global Business Advisor at Mars, to find out how the company is supporting the smallholder farmers that produce the crops they rely on.
Cordaro commented that in order to maximise development outcomes, businesses sourcing from the developing world need to consider several things. First, they must try and source as much as they can locally. Secondly, businesses should try and link in with other projects happening in the country in question, such as school feeding and healthcare programs. Thirdly, they must work closely with the local communities on sharing knowledge,
Cordaro also explained a new initiative that Mars is participating in, the African Orphan Crops Consortium, which will sequence the genome of 101 African crops, in an effort to improve the nutritional content, productivity and climatic adaptability of crops grown by African smallholders.
Watch more Farming First TV interview on our YouTube Channel.