Food and beverage giant PepsiCo and FMCG conglomerate Unilever, along with other major food and beverage companies have partnered to launch ‘Supporting Trusted Engagement and Partnership for Agriculture’ (STEP Up for Ag) a program focused on advancing regenerative farming practices.
The partnership aims to strengthen farmer facing organizations by equipping them with the tools, training, and funding to fast track the transition to sustainable practices and resilient supply chains. The project brings together companies, nonprofits, and farmer led groups to navigate meaningful, scalable transformation in agriculture.
The primary objective of this new initiative is to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of farmer facing support organizations in North America. It is a part of PepsiCo’s mission to transition 10 million acres by 2030 by enhancing the working of farmer support organizations and their advisory ecosystems. A pilot project is already underway in Spain, marking a push towards global adoption of regenerative agricultural practices.
Scaling Regenerative Agriculture Through Partnerships
Regenerative Agriculture is geared towards building and maintaining of healthy soil, cutting carbon emissions, enhancing biodiversity and watershed health, to raising the standard of farmer community livelihoods. Adopting regenerative practices requires technical expertise as well as local knowledge. It is built on trusted relationships, where farmers see clear benefits and receive guidance from organizations. Therefore, farmer led, farming facing organizations become critical to the success of large scale regenerative agricultural programs.
When we decided to do this regenerative agriculture thing, we wanted to be playing the long game. 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.
STEP Up for Ag seeks to strengthen farmer organizations by providing them with the tools, training, and resources needed for on the ground assistance, unlocking ways to scale adaptation across diverse geographies and fostering an environment of trust and innovation throughout the supply chain. The initiative channels dedicated funding and strategic support to help farmer support organizations expand their impact and build long term resilience.
Step Up for Ag is being built as a shared, cross sector ecosystem to empower farmers and drive lasting change on a large scale. PepsiCo and Unilever are the leading partners committed to funding and collaborate with specific farmer support organizations to strengthen advisory capacity and accelerate regenerative agriculture adoption. The Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation (PACT) is another key provider of funding and strategic insight.
Over a decade ago, we saw that farmers were ready to adopt practices like cover cropping, and we needed to scale up to support them. Having all these major names invest in our capacity came at a pivotal moment. It enabled us to become more efficient, expand our reach, and deliver timely technical and financial support to more farmers.
The first phase will support farmers throughout western Canada and Practical Farmers of Iowa, primarily through assistance from South East Research Farm (SERF), while initiatives like Farm Advisor, an Indiana-based program, pair experienced conservation farmers with peers to accelerate the adoption of soil health practices through mentorship, education, and on-farm support.
Empowering Farmer Organizations for Long Term Impact
The main objective of the initiative is helping farmer support organizations develop robust business and strategic plans to boost profitability and stimulate local economies. Practices such as expanding staff and training to better equip farmers to better equip farmers with advanced tools and knowledge are an important part of the project.
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This process is supported through measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems to track sustainable progress against set goals. After enhancing implementation capabilities, the program supports scalability and long term impact, seeking to unlock new revenue streams and partnerships to ensure sustained support for farmers over a long period of time.
STEP up for Ag can help us move faster and smarter, empowering farmer-led groups with the tools they need and opening doors to more great suppliers to grow our business.
Over the next two years, STEP up for Ag will facilitate peer learning, host annual in person workshops and develop shared tools and resources to scale impact. The launch of the first European pilot with the farmer led cooperative Garlan in Spain is supported by the Earthworm Foundation, where regenerative agriculture program offers farmers improved access to high end guidance and advice on sustainable practices.
The pilot program is modeled on an earlier program in Türkiye, where a regional workshop of EIT Food brought together farmer support organizations, corporate partners, and NGOs for local engagement. These initiatives signal the start of a broader effort to strengthen advisory ecosystems and scale regenerative agriculture across Europe and other global regions.
