BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (PRNewswire) — Sumaj Camaña. It means to "live well" in Aymara, the native language of a group of women quinoa growers from the Andean mountain region who are learning to do just that.
Earlier this year, Kellogg Company sponsored five quinoa growers and one agronomist from the Andean region to attend the International Quinoa Research Symposium in the U.S. state of Washington. There, the native farmers learned about best practices to increase their yields and served as a voice for indigenous growers, including the women's cooperative that calls itself Sumaj Camaña.
"Kellogg is a committed to doing what's right for our environment and society," said Diane Holdorf, Kellogg Company Chief Sustainability Officer. "Empowering women and smallholder farmers is critical to our efforts to make a lasting impact on our supply chain and the sustainability of the communities in which we live and work."
Sponsoring the group also reinforces the company's recent commitment to the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEP), a U.N. Women and U.N. Global Compact collaboration that offers guidance for empowering women in the workplace, marketplace and community. The principles align with Kellogg Company's Global Code of Ethics and Global Supplier Code of Conduct, which require Kellogg employees and suppliers to adhere to the highest ethical and legal standards.
In addition to its work with the Andean quinoa growers, Kellogg is assisting women and smallholder farmers in other regions around the world with resources and education to help improve their livelihoods and the families they support.
In Mexico, the company funds two programs:
- Mexico Tierra de Amaranto (MTA) teaches community members how to grow and harvest amaranth, a nutrient-rich native grain. The program has been particularly successful in giving rural women farmers a means to earn income for their families.
- Through its partnership with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Kellogg also is a founding supporter of MasAgro, an initiative that brings smallholder and women farmers together with agricultural research and development organizations to raise and stabilize their crop yields, increase their incomes and reduce the effects of climate change on Mexico's agricultural output.
In the Philippines, many smallholder farmers were recently devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. In response, Kellogg Company's charitable arm, Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund, contributed $100,000 in cash to assist with immediate food needs and long-term recovery efforts. The gift was made through Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), a leading humanitarian organization that's already on the ground providing vital services to survivors.
"Efforts like these and others demonstrate the priority Kellogg places on sustainability and social responsibility," Holdorf said. "We recognize there's always more we can do to make an impact, and we are continuously challenging ourselves to help address the social and environmental risks in our supply chain."
For more information on Kellogg Company's commitments to and progress in environmental sustainability, see the 2012 Kellogg Company Corporate Responsibility Report available online at www.kelloggcompany.com
About Kellogg Company
At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we are driven to enrich and delight the world through foods and brands that matter. With 2012 sales of $14.2 billion, Kellogg is the world's leading cereal company; second largest producer of cookies, crackers and savory snacks; and a leading North American frozen foods company. Every day, our well-loved brands nourish families so they can flourish and thrive. These brands include Kellogg's®, Keebler®, Special K®, Pringles®, Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Kashi®, Cheez-It®, Eggo®, Coco Pops®, Mini-Wheats®, and many more. Because we believe in the power of breakfast, we focus our philanthropic efforts on global hunger relief through our Breakfasts for Better Days™ initiative, providing 1 billion servings of cereal and snacks - more than half of which are breakfasts - to children and families in need by the end of 2016. To learn more about our responsible business leadership, foods that delight and how we strive to make a difference in our communities around the world, visit www.kelloggcompany.com.