Arkema has announced the creation of the Castor Farmer Education Fund (CFEF), a collaborative initiative designed to support castor farming communities in India.

The CFEF aims to raise funds to further accelerate the adoption of innovative and resilient farming techniques across the region by empowering farmers through education and training, generating lasting environmental and social impact.

The fund will support projects that improve livelihoods, encourage regenerative agriculture, and foster long-term environmental stewardship in castor-growing regions. Open to all stakeholders, customers, brands, and partners across the castor value chain, the fund offers a unique opportunity to take meaningful, collective action. Together, contributors will help scale up farmer education programs, with the ambition of training 100,000 to 150,000 farmers by 2030.

“This fund represents a strong commitment to the people and communities who play a key role in the castor value chain. While it aligns with Arkema’s CSR roadmap, it also reflects the spirit of our global sponsorship strategy, which promotes inclusion, diversity, and education. This initiative will significantly strengthen the sustainability performance of the entire castor oil industry,” said Emmanuelle Bromet, VP, Sustainable Development, Arkema.

Arkema will serve as an anchor donor and intends to remain actively involved throughout the initiative. A dedicated Steering Committee will guide the fund’s strategic direction and partner TT Foundation Advisors  (TTFA) and Solidaridad in selecting and executing impactful projects.

TTFA is the philanthropy advisory arm of Temasek Trust, the philanthropic branch of Singapore-headquartered global investment company Temasek.

Solidaridad will be the initial grantee and will oversee training, monitoring, and project sourcing to ensure consistent and high-quality implementation.

“With the adoption of sustainability principles, small-scale farmers are able to improve income as well as soil health and biodiversity. With Arkema, this initiative can be scaled in castor-growing regions to build long-term resilience among the farming community,” said Shatadru Chattopadhyay, Managing Director, Solidaridad Asia.

"The Castor Farmer Education Fund reflects a shared commitment to empower farming communities and strengthen sustainable agricultural practices. TT Foundation Advisors is honoured to partner with Arkema and Solidaridad to provide a trusted, transparent platform that enables all stakeholders to collaborate and achieve better outcomes for the castor value chain," said Dickson Lim, Head, TT Foundation Advisors.

Castor is the renewable feedstock used in the production of Rilsan PA11 and Oleris advanced Oleochemicals.