Water Stewardship Progress Across Our Peruvian Operations

This progress report on our water stewardship program in Peru describes how Fresh Del Monte Produce is working to use water responsibly, strengthen agricultural resilience, and support the communities connected to our operations. Peru’s coastal farming regions depend on careful water management, making efficiency, monitoring, and collaboration essential to long-term food production.

Our approach brings together farm-level irrigation practices, watershed awareness, infrastructure maintenance, employee training, and engagement with local stakeholders. Water stewardship is broader than reducing consumption. It also means protecting water quality, understanding shared resources, preparing for climate variability, and ensuring that operational decisions respect the needs of surrounding communities.

Progress is assessed through practical indicators: how accurately water is applied, how reliably systems are maintained, how consistently conditions are monitored, and how effectively lessons are shared across agricultural sites. This helps turn sustainability goals into everyday operating practices.

Why Water Stewardship Matters In Peru

Many agricultural areas in Peru operate in environments where rainfall is limited or highly seasonal. In these conditions, productive farming depends on irrigation systems that can deliver the right amount of water at the right time. Small inefficiencies across fields, pipelines, valves, or pumping systems can accumulate into significant losses.

Water availability is also shaped by conditions beyond an individual farm. Rivers, canals, groundwater resources, ecosystems, municipalities, and other agricultural users may depend on the same watershed. Responsible water management therefore requires a broader view of both direct withdrawals and the health of the surrounding water system.

Our work in Peru is guided by the principle that efficient production and responsible resource use should advance together. By improving operational control, identifying potential risks early, and supporting informed decision-making, we can help protect water resources while maintaining the quality and reliability of fresh produce.

From Irrigation Efficiency To Daily Practice

A central part of the program is improving the precision of irrigation. Field teams use scheduled applications, infrastructure inspections, and crop observations to align water delivery with plant requirements. Depending on the crop and location, this may include drip irrigation, soil-moisture assessment, pressure checks, and adjustments to irrigation timing.

Efficient equipment only performs well when it is properly managed. Maintenance teams inspect lines, emitters, pumps, filters, valves, and storage systems to identify leaks or pressure changes. Corrective work can reduce avoidable losses and improve uniformity, helping crops receive more consistent irrigation across a field.

Training supports these technical measures. Employees and supervisors are encouraged to recognize signs of overwatering, under-irrigation, runoff, or equipment failure. Clear procedures also make it easier to document incidents, escalate concerns, and apply successful practices across different locations.

Measuring Progress Across The Program

Water stewardship requires evidence that can support action. Our monitoring framework brings together operational records, irrigation observations, maintenance information, and site-level assessments. Reviewing these sources helps teams understand where performance is stable, where improvements are needed, and which practices can be replicated.

The indicators below represent the main areas of progress being followed in Peru. They are designed to connect resource efficiency with environmental responsibility and operational resilience.

These measures are most valuable when they lead to decisions. A monitoring result may prompt a repair, a change in irrigation timing, a review of field conditions, or additional training. This feedback cycle allows the program to develop through continuous improvement rather than relying on a single intervention.

Protecting Water Quality And Soil Health

Water stewardship includes the quality of water returned to the environment and the condition of the soil through which water moves. Farming practices can influence runoff, drainage, salinity, erosion, and the movement of nutrients or other materials. Managing these risks supports both agricultural productivity and the wider ecosystem.

Our environmental controls emphasize prevention. Teams follow procedures for handling agricultural inputs, maintaining equipment, managing storage areas, and responding to spills or abnormal conditions. Keeping work areas orderly and addressing issues quickly can help reduce the likelihood that contaminants reach drainage channels or other water resources.

Soil health is closely connected to water efficiency. Healthy soils can improve infiltration, support root development, and help crops use available moisture more effectively. Practices that reduce compaction, limit erosion, and preserve soil structure can therefore contribute to a more resilient irrigation system and reduce pressure on water supplies.

Working With Communities And Local Stakeholders

Water resources are shared, so responsible management depends on communication beyond the farm boundary. Our teams seek to understand local conditions and maintain constructive relationships with communities, authorities, suppliers, and other stakeholders connected to the agricultural landscape.

Engagement may include responding to concerns, sharing relevant information, coordinating around operational activities, and supporting awareness of responsible water use. The purpose is to build understanding of how water is managed and to identify risks that may not be visible through internal monitoring alone.

Community development is part of our wider sustainability framework. Information about our environmental programs, social initiatives, and ethical business practices is available through the sustainability platform, where stakeholders can follow the broader responsibilities that shape our operations.

Building Resilience Through Collaboration

Climate variability makes long-term planning increasingly important for agricultural operations. Changes in temperature, rainfall patterns, water availability, and extreme weather can affect both crops and infrastructure. Water stewardship helps us prepare by encouraging scenario-based thinking and by identifying vulnerabilities before they become operational disruptions.

Collaboration across functions is essential. Agricultural specialists, maintenance personnel, environmental teams, field supervisors, and local leadership each contribute a different perspective. When these teams review water performance together, they can connect technical findings with crop needs, environmental risks, worker safety, and community expectations.

Knowledge sharing also allows improvements to travel. A successful maintenance routine or irrigation adjustment at one site can inform practices elsewhere, provided it is adapted to local soil, crop, climate, and infrastructure conditions. This balance between common standards and site-specific judgment strengthens the program.

Priorities For The Next Reporting Period

The next phase of our work will focus on making water stewardship more consistent, measurable, and integrated into operational planning. Key priorities include:

• Improving the quality and comparability of water-use information across Peruvian sites.
• Expanding preventive maintenance for irrigation, pumping, filtration, and conveyance infrastructure.
• Deepening employee training on irrigation efficiency, water-quality protection, and incident response.
• Strengthening watershed-risk assessments and communication with relevant local stakeholders.
• Using monitoring results to establish practical improvement actions and track their implementation.

These priorities reflect a gradual, disciplined approach. Water performance cannot be improved through technology alone; it depends on reliable data, capable people, well-maintained systems, and responsible decisions at every level of the operation.

Our progress in Peru will continue to be evaluated against environmental conditions, operational experience, and stakeholder expectations. By treating water as a shared and finite resource, Fresh Del Monte Produce can support productive farms today while helping safeguard the natural systems and communities that make agriculture possible. Stakeholders can follow our ongoing sustainability progress through our corporate reporting and engagement channels.