Chris Packham gets behind the Cambodian giant ibis
The IBIS Rice Conservation Co - started by the Wildlife Conservation Society to protect Cambodia’s indigenous forests - has appointed wildlife TV presenter and conservationist Chris Packham as its brand ambassador.
The ‘business with a purpose’ has also won its first listings in Planet Organic and Better Food stores across the UK, with D2C channel to follow later this month.
IBIS Rice works with Cambodian farmers who are involved in preventing deforestation and protecting indigenous wildlife. By engaging directly with farmers and local communities, the country’s uniquely diverse forest ecosystem is being safeguarded from destruction and a number of species are being saved from extinction, including the giant ibis, Cambodia’s national bird, of which less than 200 individuals remain.
Farmers commit to a programme of organic agriculture, zero deforestation and zero poaching, and are paid a 70% premium for their crops. Currently, around 2,000 farmers have signed up, protecting over 500,000 hectares of forest.
IBIS Rice manages all the packing and processing in Cambodia to keep the added value in the rural communities before selling it directly to the UK.
The farmers grow a local variety of long grain jasmine rice known as phka rumdoul, which has been voted the best rice in the world five times at the World Rice Forum. It’s available as rice grain - either white, brown or semi-milled - puffed into rice cakes and popped for a breakfast cereal.
“It is rare to come across a business such as this, one that truly supports its environment and the people throughout the supply chain,” said Packham.
“We live in exciting times for conservation, but equally a time when the pressure on our natural environment is at breaking point. I strongly believe that more businesses need to follow the model of IBIS Rice, who have created a model that is actively protecting forests and allowing farmers and endangered wildlife to thrive.”
IBIS Rice is a conservation project started by the Wildlife Conservation Society to protect Cambodia’s last indigenous forests. . Farmers are paid a premium for their crop and IBIS Rice pack and process the rice themselves in Cambodia, giving added revenue and security to rural communities while creating a paddy-to-plate business model that eliminates unnecessary steps in the supply chain.