Tomatoes
Pioneering sustainable tomato growing in the western US
We work with 25 growers in northern and central California to produce sustainable tomatoes for the Ragu and Bertolli brands. Together our growers produce 400,000 tonnes of tomatoes on farms ranging in size from 100 to 6,000 ha.
We have developed sustainable agriculture techniques that help to improve soil health, for example by rotating a wide range of crops, and by reducing nutrient applications. We use Integrated Pest Management, and only apply pesticides as a last resort. Fertilizer applications have been minimized by testing for soil nitrogen before spraying, to ensure that the plants only receive the amount they need. Drip irrigation is encouraged, and research suggests that run-off could be reduced by 80% through winter cover cropping, with the flow of water and sediments slowed by the use of wider, deeper drainage ditches.
We carried out biodiversity assessments at our tomato farms in collaboration with the Audubon Society, a conservation NGO. We found high bird species diversity, especially in field margins, and we are working with our growers to further promote the biodiversity value of their land.
Saving water and saving money with Brazilian tomato crops
We have worked with our Brazilian growers since 2002 to produce sustainable tomatoes for the Knorr brand in the Goiânia plant. The farms range in size from 50-400 ha, and together produce 440,000 tones of tomatoes annually.
Our research has enabled the growers to improve the sustainability of their 15 crops, and we use indicators to assess their progress. The adoption of an adequate and professional irrigation manager program result in water savings of up to 20% compared with conventional pivot irrigation methods. They are also achieving higher yields and need less fungicide and pesticide due to the use of a diseases prevention system. As a result, the gross cost per tone of fruit is reduced even with increased irrigation costs. We aim to help all of our growers to implement sustainable pest control, waste reduction, irrigation, and harvesting techniques. In addition we must continue to address the issue of child labor.
Tomatoes - Greece
We have worked with 120 tomato farmers at the Pummaro factory in Gastouni, in Greece's western Peloponnese region, since 2005. We increasingly encourage the growers to use sustainable agricultural practices, and support their efforts with best practice seminars and input from our local field agronomist. Our aim is for all growers to have achieved Unilever's sustainable agriculture practice standard by 2011, so that they can supply the European pasta sauce business with a high-quality product and competitive price.
To do so will require greater control over the crop, so we supply seeds directly to our farmers. We have installed a computerized sampling system to assess the fruit as it arrives at the factory, so we can accurately determine the quality of each farmer's crop. We are also developing new varieties of tomato that are better adapted to the growing region, and to the Pummaro brand.