A New Collaborative Era

The author, Dan Bena of PepsiCo, advocates for a 'new collaborative era' where blurred boundaries between public and private sectors enable more effective climate adaptation. The document identifies two primary opportunities for government intervention supported by private sector expertise: instituting systems for efficient natural resource use and creating financial vehicles to provide credit to underserved communities. To illustrate these points, the paper details PepsiCo's initiatives in India, including 'direct seeding' in paddy cultivation to reduce water use and the formation of potato farmer cooperatives to mitigate credit risk. It also describes a partnership in Mexico with FUNDAR to develop sustainable agribusinesses for corn farmers and a project in Ceará, Brazil, where the PepsiCo Foundation supports the Columbia Water Center in integrating climate forecasts into state water allocation decisions via COGERH.

• The author identifies two main areas where national and state governments can intervene to promote the public good during climate, food, and water insecurity, both of which can be supported by the private sector: creating systems for efficient natural resource use and promoting policies or financial vehicles that increase credit access for underserved groups.
• In India, the adoption of 'direct seeding' in paddy cultivation, promoted by PepsiCo, reduced water use by up to 30% and greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70% compared to conventional methods. In 2009, this practice was applied to 6,500 acres, saving over 5 billion liters of water.
• PepsiCo's partnership with the Mexican Foundation for Rural Development (FUNDAR) in 2009 aimed to create sustainable agribusinesses for low-income corn farmers, resulting in a 165% increase in income for 297 farmers and the provision of 57,850 hours of training.
• In the state of Ceará, Brazil, the PepsiCo Foundation supports the Columbia Water Center in helping the state water management agency (COGERH) move from a conservative water allocation system to one based on skillful climate forecasts to reduce evaporation losses in a semi-arid region.
• To address the high credit risk associated with underserved populations, the private sector can help form cooperatives. In India, PepsiCo partnered with 12,000 small-holder potato farmers by 2009 across seven states, providing access to bank finance, insurance, and disease control packages.
• The CEO Water Mandate of the UN Global Compact is cited as a premier public-private initiative launched in July 2007 to help companies develop and disclose water sustainability policies, recognizing that water is central to climate adaptation, food security, and global health.

APA

Bena, D. (2010). A New Collaborative Era. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-8-response-5.pdf

Chicago

Bena, Dan. A New Collaborative Era. World Resources Institute, 2010. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-8-response-5.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bena |first1=Dan |title=A New Collaborative Era |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2010 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-8-response-5.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bena2010new, author = {Bena, Dan}, title = {{A New Collaborative Era}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-8-response-5.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }