Project title: Creating Impact for People and Planet

Type of project: research, business implementation

SDG(s) relevant to the project: 2, 12, 13, 15

Topic(s): industrial innovation, diversity, equity and inclusion, nature-positive approaches and regenerative agriculture, water management

Product(s): almonds, cashews, hazelnuts

Project end date and duration: December 31, 2023 (2 years)

Abstract: ofi’s sustainability ambition in nuts has gained a new momentum with the launch of Almond, Cashew and Hazelnut Trails in the past years focusing on the 2030 sustainability targets for these products. ofi continued to create impact for the people who produce our food, for communities and for the environment. In this application we would like to focus on three important projects that we have done in 2023 in 3 different products.

1/ Fighting Malnutrition in Côte d’Ivoire Cashew with the IMSA App: Severe Acute Malnutrition has been identified as the single largest cause of child death in the world today, contributing to nearly half of all childhood deaths (children under five years of age). According to a 2023 report by UNICEF, over 230 million children under the age of 5 globally are believed to be malnourished, with Africa and Asia housing most of these children.

Malnutrition is a public health concern in Côte d’Ivoire as 23% of children under the age of 59 months are stunted. This exceeds the WHO’s warning threshold, and the frequency of stunting in rural areas in the country’s north reaching 30% (EDS, 2021).

With some of these communities being part of our cashew supply chain. In August 2022, ofi Nuts partnered with the country’s National Nutrition Program (PNN) and to pilot Konan Carene’s Infant Malnutrition System Alert (IMSA) app to screen and geolocate children at the risk of malnutrition. The geolocation enables hospitals to locate and follow-up on cases. After the successful pilot, the program was scaled in November 2023. Vitamin A and deworming tablets were also given to the children as part of the project. The diagnosed severe and moderate cases were sent to the nearest hospital for immediate attention.

2/ Women on the Roads for Hazelnut Project in Turkey Hazelnuts: This diversity and inclusion project aims to ensure that women engaged in seasonal agricultural work in hazelnut supply chain in Turkey acquire attitudes and preventive health behaviors in search of rights for the wellbeing of their life/health at risk due to mobile/temporary living conditions. Project targets Seasonal Migrant Women:

3/ Bee-Friendly Almond Orchards in United States: Nearly three quarters of the top 100 human food crops are pollinated by bees. Honey bees are particularly important as they are responsible for around 80% of pollination worldwide. To put it another way —no bees, no food.

In recent decades, industrial farming, use of chemicals and removing hedgerows have all had an impact on bee populations. From 1947 to 2008 the honey bee population in the US declined from six million hives to 2.4 million hives. That’s a 60% reduction.

Each year, we rent around 17,000 bee colonies to support pollination and nut production at our almond orchards in California and Nevada. In order to help bees thrive and improve the ecosystems on our almond estates, we’ve been creating bee-friendly habitats and making sure that our almond orchards receive bee friendly orchard certificates.

Impact and Outcomes:

1/ Fighting Malnutrition in Côte d’Ivoire with the IMSA App (SDG 2.2): Using the IMSA app, in 2022 a groundbreaking malnutrition screening pilot project was initiated in Cote d’Ivoire, targeting 2,565 children aged 6-59 months across 11 communities identified with moderate to severe malnutrition risks, including Kodoum, Adamakaha, Karamokola, Sanankoro, Dandougou, Gbatosso, Katiala, Tchonvolokaha, N’guissidougou, Mongbara and Yamonzo.

Building on this success, 2023 witnessed a remarkable expansion of the project through collaborations with Cote d’Ivoire National Nutrition Program, UNICEF, WHO, and Helen Keller International, reaching an impressive 100,374 children and their families. This comprehensive initiative not only raised awareness about malnutrition, but also conducted screenings for malnutrition risks, providing crucial interventions like deworming and Vitamin A tablets. Implemented in the Seguela and Kani regions, the project has made significant strides in combating malnutrition, showcasing the impact and achievement of concerted efforts in public health and nutrition.

2/ Women on the Roads for Hazelnut Project in Turkey Hazelnuts: Since 2020, 5,211 women have been given face-to-face training on important health topics such as: female reproductive health, pregnancy, breastfeeding, hygiene, breast cancer prevention, awareness and diagnosis, nutrition and obesity.

As women make up a large portion of Turkey’s seasonal workforce, that migrate to the hazelnut region during the harvest months, these trainings are crucial. This project operated in the provinces of Giresun, Ordu, Samsun, Sakarya and Duzce, where hazelnut workers live during the harvest season, as well as cities like Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Mardin, Batman and Şırnak, from where many seasonal workers migrate.

As well as gathering information about the status, attitudes and tendencies of women engaged in seasonal agricultural work in permanent and temporary settlements, the project began by scheduling household visits to ensure those women understood their rights during seasonal agricultural work.

In 2022, a total of 1,528 female seasonal migrant workers were given health screenings. By performing blood tests, the ofi team was able to determine and inform the women about their risk of conditions including diabetes, anemia and iron deficiency. For those deemed at risk, the team provided extra training on how to manage their health to avoid further complications.

3/ Bee-Friendly Almond Orchards in United States: Balancing pest control, while fostering bee-friendly communities is a challenge. ofi balances this risk through the controlled or non-use of certain chemicals to deter unwanted pests, while maintaining a limited impact on biodiversity, and championing bee friendly farming techniques. Creating environments that are welcoming to bees and other insects is key to safeguarding biodiversity and food production, especially considering bees are responsible for one-third of all human food.

We reference the Almond Board of California’s Pollinator Partnership certification to make sure we use the most bee-friendly practices. For example, we use different bee foraging crops to provide optimum habitats in orchards, including flowering ‘cover crops’ that bees love such as phacelia, buckwheat, clover and alfalfa. We limit chemical application to night time or outside the pollination period. Additionally, we partner with universities to learn more about building conducive environments for bees, as well as work together on native bee pollinator orchard projects.