La Vie and Nestlé Vietnam team up to mitigate drought and salinity effects

Nestlé Vietnam and WASI have joined hands to study drought-resistant coffee varieties to support farmers

The beneficiaries are Ben Tre, Long An, and Tien Giang provinces, receiving donations of a total value touching VND1 billion ($43,480).

Along with this, nearly 110,000 litres of bottled La Vie mineral water, equal to about VND600 million ($26,090), are being handled out to local households across Ben Tre and Long An province, particularly in Ba Tri, Giong Trom, and Mo Cay Nam districts, and Ben Tre city (Ben Tre province), as well as Tan Tru and Can Giuoc districts (Long An province).

Simultaneously, Nestlé Vietnam – part of Nestlé Global, a global leading good and beverage company – will donate food and drinks valued at around VND400 million ($17,390) to residents in several regions in Ben Tre and Tien Giang.

This initial support will be handed out to about 5,000 households, particularly those in difficult conditions and will be further expanded to help even more in need in the delta region.

The five localities in the Mekong delta – Ben Tre, Tien Giang, Kien Giang, Ca Mau, and Long An – have issued an emergency state due to the impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion that are considered the most critical in history.

According to the Directorate of Water Resources under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, around 82,000 households in the delta region are facing water shortages due to saltwater intrusion and the figure is expected to almost double to 160,000 households in the upcoming dry season.

In addition, to mark World Water Day on March 20, La Vie and Nestlé Vietnam have deployed a raft of activities to improve people’s knowledge about the value of water resources, inspiring them to join the efforts to manage water resources in a sustainable manner to cushion the impacts of natural disasters, especially amid the growing implications from climate change.

Working to protect water resources since 2011, Nestlé Vietnam and La Vie, which became a member of Nestlé Waters from 1992, have been deploying a slew of co-operative programmes associated with local communities for sustainable development in economic, social, and environmental aspects, highlighting sustainable agriculture, water resources protection, and effective water usage.

La Vie and Nestlé Vietnam provide fresh water to households in the Mekong Delta

In 2011, Nestlé Vietnam deployed the NESCAFÉ Plan initiative, supporting coffee growers in Central Highlands provinces to develop coffee sustainably through skill and knowledge training.

The project helps coffee farmers save up to 40 per cent of water, alongside other positive outcomes such as reducing 20 per cent of fertiliser and 40 per cent of pesticide in use.

Nestlé Vietnam’s factories have set forth the target of using water resources effectively and succeeded in reducing water usage for production by 30 per cent in 2019 against 2010.