PepsiCo
PURCHASE, N.Y. – Retail and global food and beverage companies including PepsiCo and Unilever announced the launch of Supporting Trusted Engagement and Partnership (STEP) Up for Agriculture (STEP Up for Ag), a pre-competitive initiative designed to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of farmer-facing support organizations across North America.
"PepsiCo is rooted in agriculture, and farmers are at the heart of our food systems," said PepsiCo Chief Sustainability Officer Jim Andrews. "When farmers thrive, we all thrive. STEP Up for Ag is about investing in the organizations that support farmers every day, aiming to ensure they can grow, innovate and lead the transition to more sustainable agriculture."
Empowering Farmer Support Organizations.
Regenerative agriculture can be a powerful tool to promote healthier soil, as well as to reduce agricultural emissions, enhance biodiversity and watershed health, and help raise the standard of living for farmers and farming communities, said PepsiCo. It's why PepsiCo — which sources approximately 50 agricultural crops and ingredients from more than 60 countries around the world — has a goal to drive the adoption of regenerative agriculture, restorative or protective practices across 10 million acres by 2030, said the company.
Scaling regenerative agriculture requires more than just technical solutions — it depends on trusted relationships and local expertise, said the company. Farmers are more likely to adopt new practices when they see clear benefits and receive guidance from organizations they know and trust, according to PepsiCo. That's why farmer-led, farmer-facing support groups are critical to the success of corporate regenerative agriculture programs, the company said.
"The PepsiCo program has given me the flexibility to try a lot of the regenerative practices I have wanted to implement, and across more acres," Chris Beaudry, fourth-generation farmer in St. Front, Saskatchewan, and South East Research Farm member, said. "When we decided to do this regenerative agriculture thing, we wanted to be playing the long game. Something that will benefit our soil, that will benefit me if I am farming in my fifties and sixties. Or my kids if they are farming after me. 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 Agriculture seeks to strengthen local organizations by equipping them with tools, training and resources needed to support farmers on the ground. This approach is designed to unlock scale by meeting farmers where they are, with the aim of accelerating adoption across diverse geographies and creating a ripple effect of trust and innovation throughout the supply chain, said PepsiCo.
"Regenerative agriculture is a big part of how we're building a stronger, more resilient supply chain and food system — and Unilever is committed to rolling out regenerative agriculture principles across one million hectares globally by 2030," said Kristina Friedman, head of sustainability for Unilever North America. "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. Our longstanding work with Practical Farmers of Iowa has been game-changing, and this next chapter is a huge step forward."
Through STEP Up for Ag, corporate and philanthropic partners will provide funding and strategic support to help farmer support organizations:
- Develop robust business and strategic plans to boost profitability and local economies.
- Expand staffing and training to better equip farmers with the tools of the future.
- Establish measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems to track sustainable progress against goals.
- Enhance implementation capabilities to support scalability.
- Access new revenue streams and partnerships to grow support for farmers over time.
"Farmers learning about new conservation practices requires an ecosystem of learning. First, each of us must understand 'why' it's important. Second is learning — available information is now so easy to obtain. But the essential third and most valuable part of our ecosystem is the ability to have a real farmer, an experienced mentor, stand side by side and help," Jim Moseley, U.S. Department of Agriculture deputy secretary (2001-2005), farmer and board member of FarmAdvisor, said. "Investing in and supporting these relationships is important because those who have already adopted new conservation practices understand the consequences for the future of our productive US soils, our water quality and a diverse biological community if we don't."
A Multi-Tiered Partnership Model.
Transitioning more farms to regenerative agriculture requires deep collaboration — no single company or organization can do it alone, said PepsiCo. By working together across sectors, STEP up for Ag is building a shared ecosystem of support that empowers farmers and drives lasting change at scale, said the company.
- Lead Partners: PepsiCo, Unilever and others plan to fund and collaborate with specific farm support organizations.
- Contributing Partners: Corporations supporting existing or emerging organizations or the initiative at large.
- Philanthropic Partners: Including The Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation (PACT) and the PepsiCo Foundation, providing catalytic funding and strategic insight.
- Farmer Facing Support Partners: Phase I will include South East Research Farm (SERF), supporting farmers throughout the Canadian Prairies and Practical Farmers of Iowa, supporting farmers across western Canada and the US, and Farm Advisor, a farmer-led, Indiana-based initiative that pairs experienced conservation farmers with peers to accelerate the adoption of soil health practices through mentorship, education and on-farm support.
"From the beginning, Practical Farmers of Iowa has aimed to cut through the noise with clear, science-based information and a farmer-to-farmer network grounded in trust. 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," Sarah Carlson, senior programs and member engagement director, Practical Farmers of Iowa, said. "It enabled us to become more efficient, expand our reach and deliver timely technical and financial support to more farmers."
Looking Ahead.
Over the next two years, STEP Up for Ag will aim to facilitate peer learning, host annual in-person workshops and develop shared tools and resources to scale impact.
Looking ahead, STEP up for Ag is launching its first European pilot with the farmer-led cooperative Garlan in Spain. Over the next year, Garlan — supported by the Earthworm Foundation — will design its own regenerative agriculture program to offer to farmers, improving access to high-quality guidance and advice on regenerative practices, said PepsiCo. This pilot builds on earlier engagement in Türkiye, where EIT Food hosted a regional workshop that brought together farmer support organizations, corporate partners and NGOs to explore how STEP Up for Ag could take shape locally. Together, these efforts mark the start of a broader push to strengthen advisory ecosystems and scale regenerative agriculture across Europe and other global landscapes, said the company.
"At Earthworm, we believe farmers are at the heart of the transition to regenerative agriculture. This pilot in Spain is about empowering Garlan with the tools and methodologies need to succeed in supporting their farmers in the transitions. The key being a facilitation for all their key clients to support a collective approach around the crop rotation, at the whole farm level, while mobilizing other actors in the landscape who have an interest in seeing this transition succeed," said CEO of Earthworm Foundation Bastien Sachet. "By working hand in hand with PepsiCo and receiving the support from StepUp for Ag, we can co-design a strong ecosystem around farmers that makes regenerative practices practical, profitable, and scalable."
Through this partnership — and with the potential future involvement of additional major organizations — this growing network aims to help drive meaningful, long-term progress toward a more sustainable agricultural future, said PepsiCo.