Farmers achieve lower carbon emissions with new regenerative agriculture collaboration in Europe
ADM and Bayer announced an extension of their collaboration, working with farmers in a bid to drive the further adoption of regenerative agricultural practices in Europe.
Last year, the companies embarked on a feasibility study to evaluate the impact of regenerative agriculture practices in curbing carbon emissions, increasing biodiversity and improving soil health. They worked with oilseed rape farmers covering approximately 9,000 hectares in Poland to conduct an in-depth on-farm risk assessment that evaluated carbon emissions reduction potential while building grower-specific roadmaps for the transition to regenerative agriculture. This preliminary assessment showed that carbon emissions from those hectares relying on at least one regenerative agricultural practice were 15% lower than those of conventional farms. The analysis suggests that emissions reductions could be up to 40% for farmers comprehensively adopting regenerative agriculture practices.
As part of the next stage of the collaboration, the program will expand into a broader range of crops such as corn, wheat and barley, and geographically across Eastern Europe. Farmers will be provided with financial and technical support to implement qualifying regenerative agriculture practices, including:
- Minimum Tillage
- Cover Crops
- Companion Crops
- Nutrient Management
- Use of Organic Matter/Manure
- Crop Rotation
ADM will compensate participating farmers for each qualifying hectare, measured and verified using Bayer’s digital capabilities in collaboration with Trinity Agtech’s Sandy platform. The Sandy platform is a recognized solution backed by science that complies to the highest standards available in the market, with an easy-to-use tool for growers.
In addition to financial support, participating farmers receive agronomic guidance from specialized professionals. That support starts with a deep agronomical understanding of issues specific to each region in which the program is taking place, followed by individualized on-farm assessments, where agronomists visit fields and together with farmers design development plans tailored for each farm. Farmers are able to share their experiences with one another and discuss different techniques during field visits and peer learning opportunities.
