Sustainable bananas: a pilot farm in Colombia

In partnership with CIRAD, Lidl began by launching a project to conduct a phytosanitary diagnosis of value chains, to be able to activate various levers with partner producers. The two organizations, the supplier and a producer then decided to push on with setting up a pilot farm in Colombia.

They have now committed to work with a Colombian producer on one of his farms, covering 96 hectares, in particular to improve practices in line with calls from Europe for a future mirror clause.

The new partnership aims to:

• Cut pesticide use in banana plantations
• Halt the use of pesticides not approved in Europe, to our anticipate on mirror clauses on a European level
• Help partner producers maintain optimum fruit quality.

The partnership fits into the sustainable banana roadmap co-drafted by Lidl with its suppliers and a number of other stakeholders. The roadmap has gradually been rolled out since 2021, and sets social and environmental targets aimed at improving practices in all producing countries. In particular, it aims to slash pesticide use by 50% within the value chains concerned by 2030.  

With the pilot farm project, Lidl and CIRAD are keen to supplement the work being done under the Initiative Française pour une Banane Durable (IFBD) (French sustainable banana initiative).

The IFBD is intended to set targets for the French banana market as a whole by the end of 2024, centring on three working groups:   

• Value distribution and shared responsibilities within the value chain
• Environmental sustainability of production systems
• Respect for human rights and labour law.

Lidl is committed to a responsible banana value chain

Lidl is firmly committed to the banana value chain. Bananas are one of the most popular and most widely consumed fruits in France.

Since 2022, the chain has been selling 100% organic and Fairtrade/Max Havelaar- or Rainforest Alliance-certified bananas in its 1600 supermarkets in France.
Lidl has also committed to guaranteeing better pay for plantation workers, by making a financial contribution to the research-action operation being led by Banana Link to ensure decent wages in the Ivorian banana industry. The operation should result in a working group involving several French and British supermarket chains, including Lidl France, to draft a multi-player plan aimed at sharing the cost of better pay across the value chain.

Alongside CIRAD, the French agricultural research and international cooperation organization working for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions, Lidl built an approach in 2022 based on a detailed analysis of cropping practices in the banana plantations that supply it, aimed at encouraging the use of agroecological practices. This work was done in conjunction with and with the active involvement of three of Lidl's suppliers. This effective collaboration was facilitated by the efforts made to ensure transparency on the part of the value chain as a whole and producers in particular.

About CIRAD and Lidl France

With 1600 supermarkets and a staff of 46 000, Lidl France is a unique concept centring on a local, simplified offering. It sells 90% own-brand food products at fixed prices across all of its supermarkets. Since 2016, its "En route vers demain" (on the way to the future) programme has structured its responsible development as an engaged distributor, employer and commercial partner. www.corporate.lidl.fr 

CIRAD is the French agricultural research and international cooperation organization working for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions. It works with its partners to build knowledge and solutions for resilient farming systems in a more sustainable, inclusive world. It mobilizes science, innovation and training in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Its expertise supports the entire range of stakeholders, from producers to public policymakers, to foster biodiversity protection, agroecological transitions, food system sustainability, health (of plants, animals and ecosystems), sustainable development of rural territories, and their resilience to climate change. CIRAD works in some fifty countries on every continent, thanks to the expertise of its 1700 staff members, including 1140 scientists, backed by a global network of some 200 partners. It also supports French scientific diplomacy operations. www.cirad.fr