Bayer, a German multinational life sciences company with focus on healthcare and agriculture, has collaborated with ADM (Archer Daniels Midland), a multinational corporation engaged in nutrition solutions, to expand the latter’s regenerative agriculture program, re:generations, in Hungary. The initiative aims to develop a food resilient ecosystem and generate commercial value by offering financial and agronomic support to farmers adopting regenerative practices.
Expanding the program to Hungary reflects growing consumer demand for sunflower seeds, as the nation is one of Europe’s leading producers in high oleic sunflower seeds. Hungary has been strategically selected for the next phase of the program, while ADM’s re:generations initiative will expand to additional crops, including corn and rapeseed, and to other countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine over the next two years.
Hungary Joins ADM’s Re:Generations
As part of the project, Hungary aims to enroll 30,000 acres (12,000 hectares) of sunflower as well as soybeans crops for 2025 harvest, with plans to scale the program in the coming years. Under this program, sunflower farmers will be provided with financial and technical support to administer qualifying regenerative agriculture practices, including minimum tillage, cover crops, companion crops, 4R nutrient management, use of organic matter or manure, and crop rotation.
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ADM will compensate each participating farmer for each qualifying hectare, being measured through Bayer’s digital capabilities in collaboration with Trinity Agtech’s Sandy platform. This platform is a recognized solution backed by science that complies with the highest standards available in the market. Participating Farmers will also receive agronomic guidance from specialized professionals on issues specific to each region, followed by on farm assessments, where agronomists visit fields and, together with farmers, design development plans tailored for each farm.
We are proud to collaborate with ADM, whose program is instrumental in driving meaningful impact across the sector. We are thrilled to embark on this new phase of our strategic collaboration in Hungary and eagerly anticipate the positive impact we will create together.
Enrolled farmers will have the opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss various techniques during field visits and peer learning sessions. By coordinating through these peer to peer networks knowledge can be shared with a goal of supporting and revitalizing rural communities.
ADM Driving EMEA Regenerative Farming Initiatives
Along with this program, AMD is also conducting a feasibility study to analyse the effectiveness of various regenerative agriculture practices dedicated aimed at reducing carbon emissions, increasing biodiversity and improving soil health on enrolled farms to enhance farm resiliency. The study will asses the impact of these practices and provide insights to guide the expansion of the program on a larger scale. Through this program, farmers can strategize the use of technologies from a new perspective to better adapt to worsening conditions.
Launching this program in Hungary is an exciting next step in our efforts to support farmers across Europe and we’re looking forward to working with Bayer to promote an economically attractive model, where business and farmers can work together to build a more resilient, sustainable supply chain.
Hungary is the fifth European country where ADM has rolled out its regenerative agriculture program to since 2023. In EMEA(Europe, Middle East and Africa), AMD has expanded to more than 80,000 acres, including wheat and canola in Poland, soy in Serbia, and various crops in Germany and the United Kingdom. By the end of this year, ADM aim to enroll over 160,000 acres (approximately 65,000 hectares) across EMEA, doubling its efforts from 2024.
ADM’s global regenerative agriculture initiatives focused on retaining participating farmers, expanding practice adoption, and rolling out projects in additional geographies. In 2024, the company aimed to engage 3.5 million acres but surpassed this by reaching over 5 million acres, a year ahead of schedule.