Tapping into Thailand’s abundant opportunities for a greener future
From Left: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anan Tongraar, Rector, Suranaree University of Technology; Mr. Sukiet Kittitammachote, Government Relations Director, Cargill Thailand; Associate Professor Dr. Tanattrin Bunnag, Vice President of Burapha University
Thailand has a massive pollution footprint that is prominent across the ecology. Take water. Large volumes of untreated waste, much of it coming from agriculture and industry, exacerbate the country’s vulnerability to drought.
The air here is also extremely polluted, due to both high industrial and vehicular emissions and slash-and-burn agri-practices. On land, deforestation is stripping away Thailand’s once lush forest cover, often for agriculture, at an aggressive rate of 140,000 hectares per year.
Across land, water and air, the common link is agriculture, a focus area for Cargill’s sustainability work in the region.
To help address the water shortage and drought conditions, Cargill’s Smart Farming project is piping treated water from its protein processing facilities in Chok Chai District to rice farms in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima. These plants, which fall under Cargill’s global Priority Water Facilities and Watersheds, discharge water that is rich in nitrates, incidentally a vital supplement for soil fertility. By strategically linking discharge with agri-irrigation needs, the initiative has helped farmers reduce the amount of fertilizer and water they need.
Farmers participating in the Smart Farming project also regularly attend classes organized by the Suranaree University of Technology, a public autonomous university under the supervision of the Royal Thai Government, and Burapha University, an important center for research and innovation, to learn how to use less water in their farming practices. Farmers also learn how to use drones to fertilize their fields, helping to increase yields, reduce fertilizer costs and protect water resources.
The Smart Farming project, a partnership between Cargill and Burapha-Suranaree, reflects a common commitment to creating positive community change and supporting national development.
The training has empowered farmers to increase rice production, through a made-for-farm curriculum that covers rice varieties, good agriculture practice, organic rice cultivation, soil, water and fertiliser management, disease prevention and elimination, and rice seed production. Consequently, farmers' knowledge has increased from 51% to 82%, found Cargill’s questionnaire-based assessment.
Unlocking the economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy is a key component of Cargill's climate commitments, and it is making the most of one of the many things that Thailand has in abundance – sunshine. To date, Cargill has installed rooftop solar power systems at 12 facilities across Thailand, with a total capacity of over 5.4-megawatt peak (MWp). By FY2025, Cargill aims to achieve a total capacity of 19.3 MWp from solar energy, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 10,700 metric tons of CO2 per year. This is equivalent to the amount of electricity needed to power over 2,000 houses per year.
The initiative underlines Cargill's goal to weave in renewable energy projects across its global operations and supports its commitment to reduce its absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 10% by 2025, as measured against a 2017 baseline.
“Cargill is committed to mitigating the pressing issue of climate change and its impacts on our global food system. One of the ways we are doing this is by investing in renewable energy projects, including solar projects. Solar power, and renewable energy in general, helps put us in a growth position in an increasingly competitive marketplace and allows us to evolve our supply chains to serve our customers more sustainably and efficiently, while making progress against our climate commitments,” said Thiti Tuangsithtanon, Country Director for Thailand, Cargill Protein – Asia & Europe.
Cargill is also working to transform Thai agricultural supply chains into deforestation-free with its ‘No Burn, We Buy’ program. The program will see Cargill consciously source raw material and products that did not originate from or were not exposed to deforestation.
Introducing the project, Cargill is working with Thai government agencies to encourage local corn farmers to cultivate crops responsibly, promote transparency and traceability of its food supply chain, and build stakeholders’ confidence in responsible production. The campaign, which commenced in Lopburi province (Central Thailand), is helping farmers adopt sustainable waste management to replace slash-and-burn. The program has expanded across major Thai agricultural provinces, including Nakhon Ratchasima and Phetchabun.
No Burn, We Buy is initiated to support Cargill’s commitment to transforming our agricultural supply chains to be free of deforestation and land conversion by 2030. We believe the campaign will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating environmental impacts.
Through its efforts, Cargill is demonstrating to the Thai agri-community that greener practices are not just good for the environment but also make greater business sense.