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New partnerships to advance regenerative agriculture
FoodBev Media

FoodBev Media

27 July 2023

New partnerships to advance regenerative agriculture

Several multinational businesses within the food and beverage sector have this week announced new partnerships aiming to support regenerative agriculture practices in the US and Canada. PepsiCo has announced a seven-year collaboration with Walmart to pursue $120 million worth of investments focused on supporting US and Canadian farmers in improving soil health and water quality. By establishing and scaling financial, agronomic and social programmes, it aims to advance regenerative agriculture practices on more than two million acres of farmland and deliver approximately four million metric tons of greenhouse gas emission reductions and removals by 2030. Both companies have a supply chain stretching across North America that involves a large volume of critical crops including potatoes, oats, corn, wheat soybean and rice. In recognition that sustainability will look different depending on commodity, region and farm, the collaboration aims to offer a flexible approach that recognises the diversity of agriculture and that one size does not fit all. Jim Andrew, chief sustainability officer at PepsiCo, commented: “Farmers know their business better than anyone else, and what we hear from them is that for regenerative agriculture to make business sense, three things need to happen. They need economic support, social and cultural support, and agronomic support. This strategic collaboration with Walmart will advance our shared goal to have farmers' backs as they transform farming in a way that benefits the planet and people.” Nestlé has also announced a new partnership focusing on regenerative agriculture this week, collaborating with Grassroots Carbon, a company that specialises in carbon removals in US grasslands. The collaboration aims to support regenerative land management practices and remove carbon in Nestlé’s US supply shed, with a primary focus on enhancing soil health and reducing CO2 emissions. Grassroots Carbon works with ranchers to measure and certify carbon storage, and monitor and measure carbon levels in their soil. The partnership will measure and certify additional carbon sequestered over 15 years. Nestlé’s investment helps defray the expenses ranchers incur when implementing regenerative land practices. Such practices include rotational grazing, cover cropping and holistic range management. They have the potential to restore soil and system health, enhance biodiversity and sequester CO2 from the atmosphere. By integrating them into the beef supply chain, Grassroots Carbon and Nestlé aim to positively impact the environment while supporting the livelihoods of local land stewards. Henk Mooiweer, co-founder of Grassroots Carbon, said: “Building a sustainable future takes everyone. Partnerships with leaders in the sustainability movement like Nestlé are crucial to our shared mission of combating climate change. Through the investment into carbon removals, we can help ranchers across the US restore grasslands.”

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