During World Water Week 2024, Global Water Challenge (GWC) and Cargill announced the expansion of their Cargill Currents partnership platform, with a renewed investment of over $5 million USD over three years. This expansion aims to address water-related challenges in communities and basins across five continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Cargill Currents is dedicated to supporting community health, enhancing watershed health, and advancing water security worldwide.
In its second phase, the partnership will build on previous successes and continue to prioritize solutions that offer multiple benefits. These include increasing access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), building climate change resilience, improving farmer livelihoods, and empowering women, while also supporting watershed health and sustainable agriculture in water-stressed regions.
Cargill Currents employs a context-based approach to address the specific water needs of each region, focusing on water access, availability, and quality issues in priority communities or basins. This effort aligns with Cargill’s goal of creating a water-positive impact across its operations, supply chains, and communities by 2030, with an emphasis on improving access to safe drinking water in key communities worldwide.
Since its launch in 2021, Cargill Currents has positively impacted over 135,000 people by improving WASH access in 68 communities across Brazil, Cameroon, Ghana, and Ivory Coast. The platform is on track to benefit more than 150,000 people by the end of 2024, significantly contributing to Cargill’s goal of providing safe drinking water and sanitation to 500,000 people by 2030.
Here’s a look at the positive impact of Cargill Currents around the globe:
Brazil: South America In Brazil, Cargill Currents, supported by local partners such as ChildFund, IPESA, Parceiros Voluntários, and World Vision, is constructing water supply systems and sanitation facilities, significantly improving drinking water access across eight municipalities and watersheds. By the end of 2024, more than 50,000 people in Brazil will benefit from these efforts.
Bulgaria: Europe In Bulgaria, the partnership, supported by the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation (BBF), focuses on climate change resilience and addressing water scarcity in rural areas around Sofia and Varna. The work includes restoring public water fountains (locally known as “chesmas”) and creating two micro wetlands, with community engagement to raise awareness about climate change and the importance of water resources. An estimated 25,000 people are expected to benefit from improved water access and climate resilience.
Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana: West Africa In the cocoa-growing regions of West Africa, Cargill Currents, along with local teams from CARE, Habitat for Humanity, She’s Stem Foundation, World Vision, and Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor, has focused on constructing water supply systems and sanitation facilities in schools and communities. The initiative also provides training in financial literacy and entrepreneurship, particularly for female farmers. To date, over 95,000 people have benefited from these activities, with more than 33,000 women empowered through time-saving measures, skills development, and income generation. New activities underway are expected to benefit approximately 30,000 people and up to 12,000 women by 2025.
India: Asia In India, Cargill Currents, in partnership with the Anarde Foundation, is increasing groundwater and surface water storage capacity by constructing recharge shafts, recharge trenches, and desilting existing water bodies, improving water security in three water-scarce villages. Additionally, the platform has established Self Help Groups (SHGs), benefiting 450 women in the Gujarat community through skills development, leading to increased income and improved food security. The initiative also supports up to 20 hectares of sustainably managed agricultural land and gardens.
United States: North America In the United States, Cargill Currents has partnered with community-based non-profit organizations across California, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, North Dakota, and Texas. These partnerships focus on restoration and conservation, providing guidance on best practices in water stewardship, improving watershed health, and mitigating water systems pollution. The platform has positively impacted over 120 communities and committed more than 2,700 hectares to regenerative agriculture practices. Additionally, it is helping improve water security across six watersheds, with the potential to return up to 163 million liters of water per year to communities and nature.
“As water challenges increase globally, our partnership with Cargill is making a positive impact by addressing the complex nature of water issues through tailored, localized responses,” said Monica Ellis, CEO of Global Water Challenge. “This World Water Week and beyond, we celebrate Cargill Currents and its ongoing commitment to providing sustainable solutions that enhance the safety and resilience of water-scarce communities.”
“At Cargill, we believe in the power of partnerships to drive meaningful and scalable impact. Through our collaboration with Global Water Challenge, we are expanding our reach to address critical water challenges worldwide,” said Pilar Cruz, Cargill’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “Together, we are building resilient and sustainable ecosystems for the future.”
