Regenerative patchouli farming in Sulawesi
Patchouli is an iconic, key ingredient for Givaudan and is grown in ecologically sensitive areas of breathtaking natural beauty.
We have been working with local communities such as those in Sulawesi, Indonesia, for more than 10 years to improve supply chain sustainability and preserve the surrounding environment.
Our Patchouli Champion Group (PCG) model, for example, involves leveraging the talent of local agronomy experts and field sourcing teams with extensive knowledge of good agricultural and distillation practices. The transmission of their knowledge allows patchouli producers to improve their techniques and build capacity in distilling the ingredient themselves. This additional step both increases their income and allows us to create added value within communities and strengthen productive capacity. These efforts are supported by a digital traceability system that allows us to strengthen our own transparency and management of the supply chain.
We are now building on these foundations and intensifying our efforts to support farmers in transitioning towards more regenerative practices. Techniques such as cover cropping, no or low-till, and agroforestry practices build resilience to climate change, reduce GHG emissions and water use, restore soil, increase carbon sequestration, foster biodiversity, and support the economic resilience of the farmers.
Regenerative agriculture trials in Sulawesi
In 2023, we initiated agronomic trials in Sulawesi with nine plots testing different cultivation protocols, including mulching, the use of organic liquid fertilisers, organic compost, biochar as soil amendment, and Good Agronomic Practices. Overall, the trials aim to reduce the use of mineral fertilisers and agrochemicals, conserve water and soil humidity, and better understand the behaviour of the patchouli crop. Patchouli, for instance, is subject to allelopathy, an as-yet poorly understood biological phenomenon in which a plant produces biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, development, and reproduction of plant itself or other organisms. This affects the patchouli yields and life span and is likely to play a role in the expansion of production into ’new’ fertile land, representing a risk of further land use change and natural habitats degradation.
Each field will be monitored against key performance indicators for three to five years. After testing and quantifying the technical agronomic recommendations, we will be able to integrate them into our training content which is then extended to patchouli producers in our supply chain. The trials also serve to demonstrate these innovative practices and we invite farmers to carry out practical training sessions on the plots. We have carried out four sessions in three PCG areas since the set-up of the trials.
To address another need – for better-performing plants that are more resistant to pests and diseases – we set up three mother plant gardens for a production capacity of about 80,000 patchouli seedlings and eventually plan to expand to about 300,000 seedlings.
Looking ahead, we expect to expand the trials in 2024 and continue developing regenerative agriculture approaches, with a focus on intercropping and planting cover crops in patchouli fields. We also expect to expand capacities to host and demonstrate regenerative farming practices in the near future.