WASHINGTON, June 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AgMission™, a global initiative co-founded by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) to unlock agriculture’s potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has partnered with PepsiCo to award three grants to researchers in Australia, Mexico and Canada for a total combined $6.7 million investment to support evidence-based research on the effectiveness of climate-smart agriculture practices that incorporate regenerative agriculture principles.
Climate-smart practices can help reduce carbon emissions and provide environmental benefits associated with regenerative agriculture; however, limited data exists on how to effectively incorporate these practices on farms. AgMission and PepsiCo first issued a call for research proposals in early 2023 focused on research and implementation projects that develop, study and expand the climate-smart agriculture transition in specific crop sourcing regions.
“To create a resilient food system, it’s critical to invest in innovative research that is relevant to the challenges farmers face, to support them in adapting to climate change and other stressors,” said FFAR Scientific Program Director, Allison Thomson. “We are thrilled to partner with PepsiCo to fund research that has the potential to provide valuable data and information that farmers need to enhance their operations. This research has the potential to generate scalable solutions that can be applied to farms globally.”
All three grantees awarded through this effort will work closely with farmers and farmer organizations to co-develop transition plans to introduce regenerative practices, improve understanding of the impacts and outcomes, and contribute to scientific evidence that can help overcome widespread adoption challenges. By uncovering best practices for implementation and data reinforcing the environmental benefits of regenerative farming, this new research aims to create more productive, climate-resilient farms.
“Creating a more resilient, sustainable agricultural system helps to protect our continued business growth from disruption due to climate change, and other potential environmental and social risks,” said Margaret Henry, vice president, Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture at PepsiCo. “We believe that regenerative agriculture will be pivotal in feeding the growing global population, while also addressing the need to protect and enhance our natural resources. To accelerate adoption of these practices, we’re proud to support these new projects in an effort to uncover impactful and scalable solutions to better enable climate-smart agriculture practices.”
The three projects being funded by AgMission and PepsiCo include:
“Farmers are not only food producers but also stewards of natural resources (soils, water, biodiversity, seeds) while actively managing and preserving the landscape. Research and innovation in agriculture can only succeed when they meet farmers’ needs and expectations,” according to WFO Secretary General Andrea Porro. “When the research approach involves farmers and their active participation, it can lead to easier adoption and increase the effectiveness of climate-smart agriculture practices within the farmers' community. The AgMission and PepsiCo award recognizes the importance of basing research on farmers' needs and knowledge for achieving sustainable and resilient food systems through innovation.”
Colleen Daniel
Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
574.386.0658
cdaniel@foundationfar.org