Mars drives regenerative agriculture with European farmers’ partnerships

Recently, the food giant Mars started several significant projects to encourage regenerative agriculture methods throughout its European pet nutrition supply chain. The Mars regenerative agriculture programme aims to transition thousands of hectares of farmland in the UK, Hungary, and Poland to more sustainable practices. Some of the organisations involved in this corporate sustainability partnership include ADM, Biosphere, Horta, Soil Capital, Agreena, and Cargill.

Background on the partnership programmes

The farmers participating in these initiatives will receive guidance and financial support to implement techniques such as minimal tillage approaches, cover cropping, and crop rotation. These methods are designed to reduce erosion, boost biodiversity, enhance soil health, and sequester carbon. 

By supporting farmers in implementing these changes, Mars hopes to address barriers to adoption while also generating economic and environmental benefits. The initiative forms part of Mars’ plan to increase the resilience of its agricultural supply chain and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. With agriculture making up almost 60 percent of the company’s value chain emissions, climate-smart farming is proving pivotal to its decarbonisation efforts. 

They aim to transition over one million acres of farmland globally to regenerative agriculture practices over the next five years. A spokesperson at Mars has said that healthy soil is the backbone of a resilient food system, and they know businesses like theirs will play an important role in achieving a sustainable future for pet food. 

What the partnerships will look like

In Poland, Mars has joined up with Cargill through its RegenConnect programme. This programme will support 4,600 hectares of farmland until 2026. Farmers will receive guidance to optimise practices like crop covering and crop rotation as well as payments for carbon sequestration. ADM is also developing a five-year strategy to convert 4,000 hectares of wheat fields to regenerative farming practices by 2028. 

Collaborations with Horta and Biospheres are taking place in Hungary to enhance soil health and curb erosion across over 9,000 hectares of farmland. These initiatives will focus on reduced tillage and cover cropping while providing farmers with training and financial support. In the UK, Mars and Soil Capital are collaborating to help wheat farmers implement regenerative agricultural methods on 3,200 hectares by 2028. 

The focus here will be on soil carbon sequestration and erosion reduction. Mars plans to measure the impact of these programmes through systems that track greenhouse gas reductions, soil carbon levels, and erosion rates. This data will be instrumental in assessing the effectiveness of the initiatives and ensuring transparency in meeting the company’s sustainability targets. 

Conclusion

Mars’ regenerative agriculture strategy demonstrates the transformative potential of business sustainability initiatives in addressing environmental and economic challenges. As businesses increasingly recognise the importance of sustainable practices, initiatives like this set a powerful example of how collaboration and innovation can drive meaningful change. 

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