PepsiCo, Unilever launch collaboration to scale up regenerative agriculture

PepsiCo, Unilever and other food system players have launched a collaboration with farmer-facing organisations to scale up the deployment of regenerative agriculture across their supply chains.

Supporting Trusted Engagement and Partnership (STEP) up for Agriculture (STEP up for Ag) is a pre-competitive initiative meant to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of farmer-facing support organisations across North America and Europe. Through the scheme, lead partners including PepsiCo and Unilever will provide funding and advisory support to local farmer organisations, who in turn will accelerate the adoption of soil health practices through mentorship, education, and on-farm support.

Other corporate and philanthropic partners, including the Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation (PACT) and the PepsiCo Foundation will also provide funding and insight.

"PepsiCo is rooted in agriculture, and farmers are at the heart of our food systems. STEP up for Ag is about investing in the organisations that support farmers every day, aiming to ensure they can grow, innovate and lead the transition to more sustainable agriculture," PepsiCo Chief Sustainability Officer Jim Andrews said. "When farmers thrive, we all thrive."

‘System change requires collective action’

Companies in the food sector are investing to make their supply chains more sustainable and resilient, but the transition requires landscape thinking, so more and more collaborations are being announced. Among these, Nestlé has partnered with ofi on cocoa sustainability and PepsiCo has teamed up with Cargill for regenerative corn in the US.

PepsiCo has a goal to drive the adoption of regenerative agriculture, restorative, or protective practices across 10 million acres by 2030, and the new partnership with Unilever will help support this transition.

Through STEP up for Ag, the partners will help farmer support organisations develop robust business and strategic plans to boost profitability and local economies, expand staffing and training to better equip farmers, establish measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems to track sustainable progress against goals, enhance implementation capabilities to support scalability, and access new revenue streams and partnerships to grow support for farmers over time.

"The PepsiCo program has given me the flexibility to try a lot of the regenerative practices I have wanted to implement, and across more acres. When we decided to do this regenerative agriculture thing, we wanted to be playing the long game. Something that will benefit our soil, that will benefit me if I am farming in my fifties and sixties. Or my kids if they are farming after me," said Chris Beaudry, a farmer in Saskatchewan, Canada. 

"When you, as a farmer, start looking at your soil having an interdependent relationship with you, then you can start making decisions that benefit you, benefit the crop and benefit us as humans as well," he added.

First pilot launched in Spain

STEP up for Ag is launching its first European pilot with the farmer-led cooperative Garlan (supported by the Earthworm Foundation) in Spain. Over the next year, Garlan will design its own regenerative agriculture programme for farmers, improving access to high-quality guidance and advice on regenerative practices. 

"This pilot in Spain is about empowering Garlan with the tools and methodologies needed to succeed in supporting their farmers in the transitions. The key being a facilitation for all their key clients to support a collective approach around the crop rotation, at the whole farm level, while mobilising other actors in the landscape who have an interest in seeing this transition succeed," Earthworm Foundation CEO Bastien Sachet said. "By working hand in hand with PepsiCo and receiving the support from StepUp for Ag, we can co-design a strong ecosystem around farmers that makes regenerative practices practical, profitable, and scalable."