PepsiCo and Earthworm Foundation have reported progress in their effort to scale regenerative agriculture across Europe, with more than 250 farmers now participating in programmes in France, Spain and Turkey.
The initiative is built around a relatively simple premise: regenerative agriculture will only scale if farmers receive support that reflects the realities of their own operations.
While regenerative agriculture commitments have become commonplace across the food value chain, both organisations argue that implementation must be grounded in local agronomic conditions, supported by technical expertise and backed by financial mechanisms that reduce the risks associated with changing established farming practices.
The programmes bring together farmers, suppliers, cooperatives, agronomists and public-sector stakeholders to help improve soil health, strengthen farm resilience and support long-term productivity, while securing sustainable supplies of key ingredients used in products such as Lay’s and Doritos.
“Our approach is different in each market, but the aim is the same: to give farmers the practical support they need to adopt regenerative practices that work for their land,” a PepsiCo spokesperson told AgNavigator.
France programme combines funding, premiums and technical expertise
The most advanced initiative is in France, where RE’COL’TE has brought together 175 farmers in the Hauts-de-France region through a €1.5m programme focused on soil health and regenerative farming.
Led by Earthworm Foundation – a non-profit organisation that works with companies, farmers and supply-chain partners to develop practical sustainability programmes, including initiatives focused on regenerative agriculture, soil health and farmer resilience – the initiative includes PepsiCo, Nestlé, Tereos, cooperatives Agora and Unéal, grain trader Groupe Carré and ADEME, France’s ecological transition agency.
The programme is designed to address one of the biggest challenges facing regenerative agriculture adoption: the financial risk associated with changing farm management practices.
According to PepsiCo, RE’COL’TE combines public and private funding, financial premiums and technical expertise while sharing transition costs across the value chain rather than placing the burden solely on farmers.
The programme builds on Earthworm Foundation’s existing Sols Vivants initiative, which has engaged hundreds of farmers on soil health and regenerative agriculture since 2018.
Examples of practices being encouraged include cover cropping, greater crop diversity through nitrogen-fixing legumes, increased use of organic amendments and optimisation of mineral fertiliser use.
For participating farmer Paul Pontfort, reducing risk has been a critical factor.
“As farmers, we must constantly strike the right balance between long-term investments and the day-to-day economic realities,” he said. “Programs such as RE’COL’TE help us to reduce the risks associated with adopting new practices by providing financial and technical support. This gives us the confidence we need to take the leap and invest in the resilience of our farms for years to come.”
Spain programme starts with understanding barriers
In Spain, the focus has been less on deploying specific practices and more on understanding what prevents farmers from adopting them in the first place.
PepsiCo and Earthworm Foundation have conducted supplier assessments, field visits and farmer interviews across rapeseed, sunflower and corn supply chains to identify both practical and economic barriers to implementation.
The resulting programme has been shaped by farmer feedback from the outset, with support tailored to local needs rather than prescribed through a standardised framework.
Potential interventions include soil health assessments, fertilisation optimisation and conservation tillage practices.
The approach highlights a growing recognition within the regenerative agriculture sector that adoption rates may depend as much on programme design and farmer engagement as on the agricultural practices themselves.
Turkey focuses on hands-on implementation
In Turkey, the emphasis has shifted towards practical implementation with sugar beet growers.
Now in its second year, the programme covers approximately 480ha and combines field visits, soil assessments, technical training and ongoing agronomic support.
One notable change has been helping growers move from conventional synthetic fertilisers to organomineral alternatives, alongside advice on soil health and irrigation management.
The programme continues to expand as participating farmers test and introduce additional regenerative practices suitable for local growing conditions.
Early progress but long-term impacts still to be proven
While PepsiCo and Earthworm Foundation point to growing farmer participation and evidence of practice changes, they acknowledge that measurable improvements in soil health, resilience and productivity will take longer to demonstrate.
The company confirmed that verified data on outcomes such as yields, profitability, water retention, input reductions and resilience to extreme weather is not yet available.
Instead, the programmes are currently focused on establishing baseline measurements, conducting soil assessments and monitoring performance over time.
“We’re encouraged by the progress we’ve made since 2023, with more than 250 farmers now being supported across France, Spain and Turkey,” the PepsiCo spokesperson said.
“We also recognise that meaningful improvements in soil health, productivity and resilience take time to measure. That’s why we’re continuing to monitor progress and build the evidence needed to understand the longer-term impact of these programmes.”
Building regenerative agriculture through local solutions
For both PepsiCo and Earthworm Foundation, the key lesson emerging from the programmes is that regenerative agriculture cannot be rolled out through a single blueprint.
Archana Jagannathan, Chief Sustainability Officer for PepsiCo Europe, Middle East and Africa, said the company’s goal is to work with farmers, suppliers and local partners to develop approaches that reflect regional priorities and farming systems.
Earthworm Foundation CEO Bastien Sachet echoed that view, arguing that programmes built around local realities offer the best chance of delivering meaningful improvements in resilience while creating lasting value for farming communities.
The collaboration forms part of PepsiCo’s wider target to drive regenerative, restorative and protective agricultural practices across 10 million acres globally by 2030. The company says it had reached 4.7 million acres in 2025.
For now, however, the clearest takeaway from the European programmes is less about headline acreage targets and more about the practical mechanics of adoption. Rather than asking farmers to shoulder the risks of transition alone, the initiatives are attempting to combine funding, agronomic expertise and local collaboration to make regenerative agriculture both technically achievable and economically viable.
