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Sime Darby Supports Sustainable Agriculture and China 2049

The Sime Darby Group, a Malaysian-based multinational company with core businesses in plantation, property, motors, industrial, energy and utilities, has committed $500,000 in support of the Earth Institute’s Tropical Agriculture and China 2049 programs, making the company the newest Earth Institute Corporate Circle Strategic Partner. The Earth Institute also serves on Sime Darby’s International Advisory Board for sustainability, providing input into the company’s integration of sustainable development approaches as part of core business operations.  

Crop irrigation in Malawi

Sime Darby’s support of the Earth Institute’s Tropical Agriculture and Rural Environment Program will focus in particular on the nexus of agricultural production, ecosystem conservation and human well-being. For the past several years, the Tropical Agriculture and Rural Environment Program has been using science, technology, management, and policy tools to improve environmental quality, nutrition and farmers’ incomes through sustainable agricultural practices in developing countries.  It focuses on the tropics, where expansion and intensification of agriculture is needed to improve food security, but risks harming the long-term integrity of the environment if not managed correctly.

As a supporter of the China 2049 initiative, Sime Darby will be helping to promote efforts to research and model the country’s future needs and developing strategies towards creating a sustainable China by the year 2049, the 100-year anniversary of the People’s Republic. Together with China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Brookings Institution, the Earth Institute is leading this initiative to formulate broad administrative and economic plans for macroeconomics and growth along with sustainable water, energy and urbanization to inform the country’s 2011-2015 development plan. Through the partnership with the NDRC and corporations such as Sime Darby, China 2049 has the strong governmental and business engagement essential for translating research directly into policy implementation. 

In joining the Earth Institute’s Corporate Circle with this new gift, Sime Darby joins 19 other companies committed to building strong links between corporate sustainability and holistic sustainable development worldwide. These partnerships allow companies to take advantage of the latest information, tools and networks in the field while supporting the Earth Institute’s core sustainable development work.

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