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2024 KCP Application
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Lotus Foods
Org Type
Undesignated
Year Founded
1995
Project
Company
Financials
Customers & Partnerships
Primary Project Category:
Project Summary / Description:
After 10 years in the rice-importing business, it became apparent to Lotus Foods co-founders that many of the world‚ social, economic and environmental challenges are linked to rice. Growing the global rice crop uses up to one-third of the planet‚ annual renewable fresh water and contributes to climate change through methane emissions. Yet, it‚ essential to the food security of half the world‚ population. The hundreds of millions of farmers that depend on rice for their income/livelihoods are overwhelmingly poor. Monoculture has replaced local diversity. Change is essential to reduce global warming, address water scarcity and achieve more social justice.
Regions of Operations:
Southeast Asia
South Asia
East Asia
Central Asia
Middle East
North America
South America
Eastern Europe
Western Europe
East Africa
North Africa
Southern Africa
Central Africa
Oceania
Caribbean
Other Countries
Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):
Impact on Underrepresented Groups:
Lotus Foods‚ co-founder and co-CEO is a woman. The other co-founder and co-CEO is an Asian American male. Over half of the staff are women. Lotus Foods has a strong gender focus in its consumer education and outreach through its DO THE RICE THING campaign. https://www.lotusfoods.com/do-the-rice-thing/ It promotes a rice-growing methodology that reduces work and drudgery for women. It provided financial support to SRI4Women to work on production of a film about the impact of rice production on women‚ bodies and health and how SRI can diminish or eliminate those impacts. Most recently we provided financial support to two women SRI researchers from India and Kenya to attend the International Rice Congress in Singapore, October 2018 to present their research and participate on a panel about women in rice farming hosted by Oxfam America.
Sub-Categories:
Renewables
Nature-based
Agriculture
Methane
Plastics
Built Environment
Energy Efficiency
Restoration
Biodiversity
Energy storage
Rural
Urban
Circular Economy
Oceans
Forests
Waste
Carbon Removal
Electric Transportation
Cooling Solutions
Technology
Advocacy
Biomass
Conservation
Clean Cooking
Environmental justice
Research or Economic Modeling
Measurement, Reporting & Validation
Communications
Mission Statement:
Our founding mission in 1995 was to use markets and consumer behavior to preserve rice biodiversity, secure a living income for family rice farmers, and promote sustainable agriculture. In 2008, we boldly expanded our mission to Change How Rice Is Grown Around the World, when we committed to working with small-scale farmers who radically changed how they grow rice, using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) to produce more with less, doubling and even tripling their yields with up to 50% less water, 80-90% less seed, less methane emissions and less work for women. Having changed how Americans think about and eat rice by introducing healthier pigmented rices, like black Forbidden Rice®, which we named and trademarked, we set ourselves the goal of driving behavioral change throughout the value chain. We pursued this goal through: 1) a long-term campaign to educate the public and food trade about the social and environmental problems with conventional rice production; 2) organic and fair trade premiums to SRI farmers and extensive capacity building of supply chain partners to scale SRI production; and 3) pro-active outreach and collaboration with other companies and advocacy groups that share our passion and vision.
Link: Facebook:
https://www.lotusfoods.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lotusfoods/
https://www.facebook.com/LotusFoods/?ref=bookmarks
https://twitter.com/lotusfoods
