Mars, PepsiCo and ADM regenerative farming initiative: A summary
- Mars, PepsiCo and ADM launch regenerative agriculture programme in Poland
- 24 farmers supported across 5,454 hectares of rotational farmland
- Mars backs wheat for pet care brands like Whiskas and Pedigree
- PepsiCo supports rapeseed for Lay’s and Doritos brand production
- Farmers receive training, technical help and financial sustainability incentives
Mars, Inc., PepsiCo and ADM have announced a joint project, to support farmers in adopting regenerative agriculture practices.
Global leaders in food, beverage, and pet care, the three big-name brands are getting together to launch a regenerative agriculture programme in Poland, supporting 24 farmers in adopting sustainable practices across their crop rotations.
The initiative covers 5,454 hectares in total, with Mars supporting regenerative wheat across 3,359 hectares for pet care brands such as Whiskas and Pedigree, and PepsiCo advancing sustainable rapeseed cultivation across 2,160 hectares for some of its iconic brands including Lay’s and Doritos.
In Western Poland, the initiative moves beyond single-crop sustainability efforts, focusing on a holistic, farm-wide approach that strengthens soil health, improves water management, and enhances long-term agricultural resilience.
In a pre-competitive collaboration to help address the environmental impact of the agricultural supply chain, PepsiCo and Mars will work with some of the same farmers to integrate regenerative practices into rotational agriculture - a farming approach that systematically alternates different crops, such as cereals, legumes and cover crop blends, on the same land each season to help naturally replenish nutrients, break pest and disease cycles, and improve soil structure.
ADM, as an implementation partner, will play a key role by contributing both financial and technical resources to support the farmers transitioning to regenerative agriculture practices.
Farmers will also be equipped with the latest agricultural expertise, receiving hands-on training and guidance from technical specialists such as Biospheres. These practices not only improve soil structure and water retention but also reduce reliance on synthetic inputs, helping farms adapt to climate-related stresses.
To accelerate this programme and support carbon sequestration efforts, farmers will receive financial incentives based on the dedicated practices they implement - such as adopting 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,” says 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,” agrees Paul Gardner, lead global commercial VP of Mars Incorporated, and VP of global pet nutrition commercial. “Working across shared crop rotations in this way, we can empower farmers to adopt more climate-smart practices over the long term and across multiple crop types and harvests that can help enhance soil health, reduce emissions and build farm resilience. This partnership model marks an important step toward a more sustainable food industry.”
“We are proud to support farmers through this partnership and enhance the resilience of the supply chain which is crucial to the future of agriculture,” adds Katherine Pickus, chief sustainability officer at ADM.
