Agricultural giant Cargill has identified six priority supply chains, engaged with more than 148,000 farmers, and mapped tree cover loss in nearly 2,000 sourcing locations across 14 countries, the firm's first report on forests said.

“Ending deforestation is critical to curb climate change,” said Cargill CEO and chairman David MacLennan. “Today, we are at an important crossroads as we work to nourish the world and protect the planet. Sustainable agriculture must be a part of the solution.”

Cargill’s priority supply chains include palm oil and cocoa globally, soy in Brazil and Paraguay, cotton and maize in Zambia, and fibre-based packaging. The firm, whose revenues totalled $107.2bn in 2016, has issued a new policy on sustainable fibre-based packaging to protect forests in those supply chains.

Sustainable land use programmes and training have reached more than 148,000 farmers, including 15,000 small and large-scale soy farmers in Brazil, 21,000 palm oil smallholders in Indonesia, 1,000 soy farmers in Paraguay and 90,000 cocoa farmers and cooperatives in West Africa.

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