PepsiCo and Cargill will collaborate to advance regenerative agriculture practices across 240,000 acres through 2030.

The collaboration will focus on the corn supply chain shared by the companies in Iowa, where Cargill sources from local farmers, producing ingredients used in some of PepsiCo’s products. Agriculture, and creating a more resilient agricultural system, is critical to PepsiCo’s business, as the company sources 35 crops and ingredients from more than 60 countries to make its foods and beverages. As a global supplier to PepsiCo, Cargill plays a role in aligning the supply chain from farm to shelf. Together, the companies aim to deepen supply chain resilience, support positive outcomes for farming communities by helping them implement regenerative practices, and unlock new opportunities for advancing sustainable agriculture at scale.

Iowa is the United States’ largest producer of corn, contributing to more than 15% of the nation’s supply in 2024. Through local organizations — led by Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), a nonprofit organization with roots in the Midwest farming community — this collaboration aims to provide farmers with the knowledge they need to implement regenerative techniques and help them to produce crops more sustainably. PFI will offer farmers tailored advice and recommendations based on their region and planted crops — insights grounded in local realities. This type of collaboration is key to scaling regenerative farming practices that can ultimately support farmers and strengthen the resilience of the global food system.

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“By working with farmers to understand what’s best for their farms and partnering across the supply chain, we can accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices that can result in healthier soil, reduced emissions, and improved crop yields and livelihoods for farmers,” says Jim Andrew, PepsiCo chief sustainability officer. “This collaboration among PepsiCo, Cargill and Practical Farmers of Iowa creates shared value and long-term sustainability that we believe will strengthen our business today and in the future.”

This initiative also supports both companies’ goals: PepsiCo’s recently expanded goal to drive the adoption of regenerative, restorative or protective practices across 10 million acres globally by 2030 and Cargill’s goal to advance regenerative agriculture on 10 million acres of North American farmland by the same year.

“This partnership is about delivering practical, measurable results — starting on the farm, where the food system begins,” says Pilar Cruz, chief sustainability officer at Cargill. “By coming together across the value chain, we can help create the conditions for regenerative agriculture to take root and grow. The collaboration offers a model for how we can drive meaningful impact at scale.”

Building on years of collaboration among PepsiCo, Cargill and PFI, this initiative expands into a larger effort to transform today’s agricultural practices for the betterment of farmers, communities and the environment.

Benefits to Farmers

Participating farmers will receive agronomic guidance, incentive payments to help reduce the risk of adopting new practices, and access to technical resources to support their transition to regenerative practices, allowing them to expand their sustainable footprint with support from organizations.

PFI will lead implementation with farmers, managing enrollment and overseeing measurement, reporting and verification to ensure credible, science-based outcomes.

These practices are designed to improve soil health, increase resilience to climate impacts and enhance long-term farm productivity — while connecting farmers to sustainability-focused supply chains.