17th October 2022
Photo credit: WWF Pakistan
Today, at Bonsucro Global Week in Brazil, Danielle Morley, our CEO, announced the first four projects to be awarded grants from the Bonsucro Impact Fund. These projects will incubate and test new solutions to some of the critical issues the sugarcane sector is wrestling with. We want to leverage the learning from these innovative projects to catalyse change through our network.
Smallholder farmers
Under the “Innovating sustainability in smallholder sugarcane farming” call for proposals, the projects selected are:
- Incentives and rewards platform for continuous improvement of smallholder sugarcane farmers in South America (Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Colombia)
Lead member applicant: Solidaridad
Co-applicants: Raizen, Koppert
- Promoting Sustainable Sugarcane Production Among Smallholder Farmers of Pakistan
Lead member applicant: WWF Pakistan
Co-applicants: Shakarganj Limited
Responding to the news that WWF Pakistan and partners would receive a grant, Asad Imran, the Director, Food & Markets at WWF-Pakistan said, “We are proud to be one of the recipients of the Bonsucro Impact Fund. WWF-Pakistan is looking forward to enhancing farmers’ socio-economic and environmental resilience, and be helping to reduce their reliance on non-renewable energy sources, while protecting natural resources.”
Commenting on the grant, Violaine Laurens, the Digital Solutions Manager at Solidaridad South America said, “We were absolutely thrilled to hear that our project was awarded a grant by the Bonsucro Impact Fund. Together with our partners Raízen and Koppert in Brazil and local partners in Colombia, Paraguay and Uruguay, we want to revolutionise the way producers learn and adopt good practices.”
Climate action and water stewardship
Under the “Building innovative approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or improve water stewardship in sugarcane farming and milling” call for proposals, the projects selected are:
- Reduction of global warming through the production of sugar cane in Mexico
Lead member applicant: Biofabrica Siglo XXI
Co-applicants: Coca-Cola Mexico, CNPR
- Monitoring network for efficient use of water and pesticides in sugarcane production in Brazil
Lead member applicant: Raizen
Co-applicants: Pulse Hub, Arable
Dr Marcel Morales, the Director of Biofabrica Sigo XXI said, “Thanks to the Bonsucro Impact Fund, we will be able to get more farmers to reduce the carbon footprint of their sugarcane production, through the use of biofertilizers and better agricultural practices.”
- Sugarcane intercropped system simulating no-tillage conditions, aiming at greater sustainability for small producers
Lead member applicant: Assobari
All the projects were selected through a competitive two stage process and selected by the Project Selection Committee – made up of an independent expert Chair, three representatives from the Members’ Council and two Bonsucro secretariat staff. Some of the grantees have expressed their pride at being awarded a grant under the Impact Fund.
The Bonsucro Impact Fund makes grants using income from the sale of Bonsucro Credits. All trades are charged a transaction fee, around 50% of which is invested into the Fund which is designed to support members and their partners to progress key areas of strategic importance to Bonsucro and the production of sustainable sugarcane.
Speaking after announcing the successful grantees, Danielle Morley said “We’re really looking forward to supporting the projects and seeing how they develop, and how these innovative ideas become a reality.”
Our most recent call for proposals on projects that address human rights and decent work closed in September. The Project Selection Committee is currently deciding which projects to shortlist.
We will regularly share news from the projects supported by the BIF, so keep an eye on our news page and our social media channels. For any further information about the Bonsucro Impact Fund, please contact Sophie O’Loghlen-Vidot, our Impact Funding Manager on fund@bonsucro.com.
