Recognition highlights produce leader’s long-standing commitment in advancing water stewardship, climate resilience, and community well-being through innovative sustainability practices.

CHARLOTTE, NC – October 6, 2025 – Dole plc proudly announces it has been named a winner of the Sustainability in the Food Industry Award by The Shelby and Griffin Report recognizing organizations’ driving innovation and measurable impact in reducing environmental footprints, supporting communities, and shaping a more sustainable food industry.

Dole earned the honor for its Watershed Management Project in the Uchapa–Pimienta and Andaluz Stream micro-watershed of Olanchito, Yoro, Honduras. Implemented from March 2023 through February 2025 in partnership with the Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural School, the project integrated environmental education, ecosystem-based water management, and sustainable production systems to reduce climate vulnerability and strengthen the resilience of local communities.

The project was implemented using a participatory, multi-stakeholder governance model, rooted in inclusivity and shared responsibility. By engaging local authorities, community groups, indigenous leaders, youth, NGOs, academia, and the private sector, it fostered collaborative watershed management.

Highlights of the initiative include:

  • Engaging 551 local high school students and 45 children in education and environmental protection, restoring 480 m² of a municipal nursery with the capacity to produce 50,000 plants annually, and creating school gardens for 103 children and youth under Zamorano’s Learning by Doing methodology.
  • Securing the official declaration of 569 hectares of the Quebrada Andaluz micro-basin as a protected Forest Zone, restoring 29 hectares with native flora species, and safeguarding an additional 672 hectares under conservation.
  • Three community fire protection brigades were equipped, and two Forest Protection Plans implemented to reduce wildfires to less than 5% of the total area.
  • Expanding clean water access by connecting 230 families to improved distribution systems.
  • Promoting sustainable livelihoods by planting 2,000 fruit trees on farmers’ plots, enriching 40 production units through agroforestry systems, supporting two beekeeping organizations of 50 members (17 women and 33 men), and producing 30,000 ornamental, fruit, and timber plants.

The project helped establish a community-managed Green Fund, approved by the Sabanetas Water Users Assembly, to finance forest protection and watershed monitoring. Funded through a small annual user contribution, it ensures long-term sustainability of conservation efforts.

“The Watershed Management Project in Honduras exemplifies how we combine science-based approaches, local partnerships, and community engagement to protect natural resources, promote sustainable farming, and deliver long-term value for people and the planet,” stated Rudy Amador, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Sustainability & Communication for Dole Tropical Products Latin America. “Receiving this award underscores Dole’s commitment to building resilience and opportunity and further reinforces our mission to reduce environmental impact, support communities, and lead the food industry toward a greener future.”

About Dole Food Company

Dole Food Company, part of Dole plc, is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it sells, as well as in nutrition education. For more information, please visit www.dole.com.

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