Creating the future of farming
Stringent ethical processes of cultivation, logistics and storage have made Woolworths Foods a trusted name
A lettuce will last for three to four weeks if the supply chain is managed well, says Woolworths Foods head of Good Business Journey (GBJ) Kobus Pienaar.
In a world in which a staggering 30% of food is wasted, managing the supply chain is not only critical, it is an urgent and ethical issue.
Most of the exacting supplychain management work is done before the goods reach individual stores.
To survive the four weeks, the lettuce has to be harvested early in the morning, not when it’s hot; it must be cleaned properly and it mustn’t be bumped.
And of course there’s the presumption that it has been grown properly, which means good soil, adequate irrigation and appropriate fertiliser and pesticide use.
That might be enough of a challenge if you were only dealing with lettuce. It becomes daunting when you’re facing the range and volume of fresh food products handled by Woolworths every day.
Pienaar, who is passionate about waste, says the group’s determination to minimise waste levels is why the food stores are so chilly and why there is packaging.
Like everything else in Woolworths, it is the outcome of research and intense discussion.
“We’re pedantic about it, if we heat the stores a little more we will have more waste, if we cut back on the packaging we will have more food waste,” says Pienaar.
Food has been at the core of Woolworths’ environmental commitment for many decades — and has led to it developing long-term relationships with farmers, communities and research institutions in a bid to minimise adverse effects from farming and processing food.
In 2009 its commitment was moved up several notches when it launched the Farming for the Future initiative as part of the GBJ.
Pienaar describes it as a holistic approach that takes the guesswork out of farming and ensures dignity for farmworkers.
An essential aspect of Farming for the Future is knowing what works best and what doesn’t. “Instead of just doing what they’ve always done, our farmers make responsible decisions about irrigation, fertiliser and pesticide use, based on real-time measurements,” says Pienaar.
He says dealing with nature inevitably means every season is different.
“If you do the pre-work properly, things are more stable.”
It’s all about building up soil quality, which is the key to sustainable farming. Healthy soil retains water better, says Pienaar, so it needs less irrigation. With farming accounting for more than 60% of SA’S water usage, soil quality is critical.
Farming for the Future also encourages biodiversity, which means fewer chemical interventions and less chemical run-offs. That also helps to maintain water quality.
“Ultimately Farming for the Future helps ensure we produce sufficient food to meet the needs of our customers now, and for future generations.”
As Pienaar sees it, farmers don’t own the soil, they are stewards with a responsibility to the country.
“Nature is very patient with humans, you can abuse soil for a long time and then . . .”.
Farming for the Future is about helping our farmers to hand over their farms to the next generation in a better condition than the one they received it in.