The survival of the world's food system may depend on one, essential element: healthy soil. Rich, fertile soil is essential for a thriving ecosystem — it helps to enhance water retention, reduce nutrient loss, and lower greenhouse gas emissions and plays a crucial role in supporting biodiversity and climate resilience for farms around the world.
At PepsiCo, we source approximately 30 crops — such as potatoes, corn and oats — across 7 million acres in more than 60 countries, so soil health is something we take very seriously. That's one reason why we continue to make regenerative agriculture a priority around the world. Regenerative practices can help protect and promote soil health, while improving biodiversity, combating climate change impacts and supporting the livelihoods of farmers.
“For me, protecting the soil starts with cover crops,” says Nathan Anderson, Owner and Operator, Bobolink Prairie Farms, in northwest Iowa. “They help us reduce our reliance on greenhouse gas-intensive inputs like fuel, fertilizer and herbicide.”
Nathan is one of many farmers around the world who are embracing the benefits of regenerative agriculture to help preserve and nurture their farmland. Go behind the numbers to learn about some of the ways our initiatives are enabling a more sustainable future for farms' soil and our planet.
The Cover Crop Cost Share Program, a partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa, is helping participating Midwest farmers by offering financial support to plant cover crops. The practice is straightforward and effective: farmers rotate crops between growing seasons, which can help improve soil health, capture carbon and improve biodiversity.
Through our collaboration with Yara, a leading global crop nutrition company in Europe, we're training participating farmers across the EU and U.K. to use digital tools that can help improve nutrient efficiency, boost yields, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance soil health. The program also aims to provide up to 165,000 tons of fertilizer per year, primarily Yara Climate Choice fertilizers, covering about 25% of the total crop fertilizer needed by farmers in PepsiCo's European supply chain by 2030.
The Trusted Advisor Partnership brings together food companies, universities, and nonprofit groups to offer soil health training for independent crop consultants. With a $20 million grant from the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, TAP plans to work with more than 60 agronomists over the next five years to implement soil health practices across the Great Plains.
In India, participating farmers received support through our Positive Agriculture Outcomes Accelerator to build special furnaces on their land to transform unused rice and corn stalks into biochar — a nutrient-rich material that improves soil health. Biochar production can lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions up to 70% over time.
As part of our Living Roots project in the U.K., we provide farmers with a species-rich cover crop seed mix to plant in the fall before their potato crops. The mixes contain new radish varieties, which help to reduce soil-borne pests and their roots are excellent at improving soil structure. This keeps the land healthier as farmers prepare to plant potatoes for Walkers crisps.