Mars, Inc., PepsiCo, and ADM have come together to promote sustainable farming through a new regenerative agriculture initiative.
As leaders in the food and beverage industry, these brands are collaborating to roll out a regenerative agriculture program in Poland, thereby aiding 24 farmers in integrating sustainable practices into their crop rotations.
The initiative spans 5,454 hectares, with Mars dedicated to supporting regenerative wheat farming over 3,359 hectares for pet care brands such as Whiskas and Pedigree, while PepsiCo promotes sustainable rapeseed farming across 2,160 hectares for iconic brands like Lay’s and Doritos.
In the Western Polish region, this initiative extends beyond isolated sustainability tactics. Instead, it adopts a comprehensive, farm-wide strategy aimed at enhancing soil health, optimizing water management, and bolstering long-term agricultural resilience.
In a collaborative effort to mitigate the environmental footprint of the agricultural supply chain, PepsiCo and Mars are working with the same farmers to implement regenerative practices in rotational agriculture. This approach systematically alternates diverse crops—cereals, legumes, and cover crop blends—each season on the same land. This practice helps replenish nutrients, disrupt pest and disease cycles, and improve soil structure.
ADM plays a crucial implementation role by providing both financial and technical resources, enabling farmers to transition to regenerative agriculture methodologies.
Farmers will also gain access to the latest advancements in agricultural expertise, receiving hands-on training and support from technical specialists like Biospheres. These methods not only enhance soil quality and water retention but also decrease dependency on synthetic inputs, making farms more adaptable to climate-induced challenges.
To further accelerate this initiative and bolster carbon sequestration efforts, farmers will be incentivized financially based on the regenerative practices they adopt, including conservation tillage and cover cropping.
“Regenerative agriculture is a vital tool for enhancing soil health, strengthening farm resilience, and reducing agricultural emissions, which can ultimately benefit farmers and their livelihoods,” states Archana Jagannathan, chief sustainability officer at PepsiCo Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. “To drive meaningful impact at scale requires collaboration up and down the value chain.”
“Through this pre-competitive collaboration, Mars, PepsiCo, and ADM are working together to help tackle the climate impacts of the agricultural supply chain,” affirms Paul Gardner, lead global commercial VP of Mars Incorporated and VP of global pet nutrition commercial. “Working across shared crop rotations enables us to empower farmers to embrace climate-smart practices over the long term, ultimately leading to enhanced soil health, reduced emissions, and improved farm resilience. This partnership model is a significant step toward a more sustainable food industry.”
“We are proud to support farmers through this partnership, enhancing the resilience of the supply chain, which is crucial to the future of agriculture,” adds Katherine Pickus, chief sustainability officer at ADM.
