Empowering farmers
Since 2015

Sustainable guar sourcing for a better life

Since 2015, Solvay’s Sustainable Guar Initiative has aimed to empower farmers with tools and knowledge for cultivating their crops. The program includes  training in climate-smart agricultural practices to improve and stabilize guar yield and increase soil fertility. It also allows an overall improvement in climate preparedness and the region’s resilience.

Our program improves the livelihood of guar bean farmers by ensuring income durability and protecting local resources while considering the impact climate change has on their activities.

Sustainable Guar Initiative -  Ilham Kadri's visit for the Guar projet in India

 

https://youtu.be/uSmjBACjPio

 

Integrated program to develop sustainable guar production

The Sustainable Guar Initiative is an integrated program aimed at developing sustainable, non-food competing guar production within the Bikaner district in Rajasthan, India. This desert district is one of the largest producers of guar in India. SGI was set up by Solvay, L’Oréal, HiChem and TechnoServe (NGO), and is based on four themes:

  1. Agronomy: enhancing sustainable practices for rain-fed guar production
  2. Environment: implementing groundwater-neutral approaches and best practices in guar farming, along with tree plantation
  3. Social impact: applying gender approaches, nutrition, health and hygiene
  4. Market improvement: using traceability, supply chain and market access

The pillars of our Sustainable Guar Initiative

“Our ambition is to increase the revenue of engaged guar farming households by 25% through best guar farming practices and no incremental demands on groundwater."

Anne-charlotte Butrot, Sustainability Project Manager at Solvay

Pioneering program aiming at helping farmers 

Our efforts also focus on societal inputs by bringing empowerment to women under four strong values: better nutrition, education, resources and hygiene.

 

Sustainable Guar Initiative - Nutrition

Nutrition

Resources and support for women in villages to create kitchen gardens that will provide vegetables for their families and serve as a potential secondary income source. The objective is to help them improve their nutrition and as a consequence, lead them to better health.

 

Sustainable Guar Initiative - Education

 

Education

Educational programs on diet, health and climate adaption are provided to women in villages.

 

 

Sustainable Guar Initiative - Resources

 

Resources

Resources and support for planting additional vegetation in villages and establishing water collection systems to improve climate resilience via permaculture.

 

 

Sustainable Guar Initiative - Hygiene

 

Hygiene

Training on health and menstrual hygiene, distribution of informational hygiene kits, promoting one woman per village as champion for health and hygiene.

A global value chain from guar plant to final customers

Sustainable Guar Initiative - Value Chain Model

The Sustainable Guar Initiative (SGI) is a ground-breaking effort in which major guar supply chain stakeholders are involved from production, to processing, to marketing. Key stakeholders include farmers, processors such as Hichem, and industry players.

 

A global program held by partners

  • P&G Beauty joined the SGI program in 2022.
  • Henkel joined our initiative in 2017.
  • L’Oréal was our launch partner in 2015. 
  • TechnoServe is the NGO that spearheads the on-the-ground implementation. Their experts train farmers and show how sustainable farming practices can be implemented in a practical way.
  • Hichem is a Solvay Joint Venture and guar manufacturer. They are our initial partner and helped us make the link to the entire guar supply chain and help us in our traceability efforts.