PepsiCo, Unilever, and other major retail, food, and beverage companies launch “STEP up for Agriculture” initiative

Leading retail and global food and beverage companies including PepsiCo  and Unilever announced the launch of Supporting Trusted Engagement and Partnership (STEP) up for Agriculture (STEP up for Ag), a pre-competitive initiative designed to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of farmer-facing support organisations across North America.

Regenerative agriculture can be a powerful tool to promote healthier soil, as well as to reduce agricultural emissions, enhance biodiversity and watershed health, and help raise the standard of living for farmers and farming communities. It’s why PepsiCo – which sources approximately 50 key agricultural crops and ingredients from more than 60 countries around the world – has a goal to drive the adoption of regenerative agriculture, restorative, or protective practices across 10 million acres by 2030.

Scaling regenerative agriculture requires more than just technical solutions – it depends on trusted relationships and local expertise. Farmers are more likely to adopt new practices when they see clear benefits and receive guidance from organisations they know and trust. That’s why farmer-led, farmer-facing support groups are critical to the success of corporate regenerative agriculture programs.

STEP Up for Agriculture seeks to strengthen local organisations by equipping them with tools, training, and resources needed to support farmers on the ground. This approach is designed to unlock scale by meeting farmers where they are, with the aim of accelerating adoption across diverse geographies and creating a ripple effect of trust and innovation throughout the supply chain.

Through STEP up for Ag, corporate and philanthropic partners will provide funding and strategic support to help farmer support organisations:

• Develop robust business and strategic plans to boost profitability and local economies
• Expand staffing and training to better equip farmers with the tools of the future
• Establish measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems to track sustainable progress against goals
• Enhance implementation capabilities to support scalability
• Access new revenue streams and partnerships to grow support for farmers over time

Transitioning more farms to regenerative agriculture requires deep collaboration – no single company or organisation can do it alone. By working together across sectors, STEP up for Ag is building a shared ecosystem of support that empowers farmers and drives lasting change at scale.

• Lead Partners: PepsiCo, Unilever and others – each committing to fund and collaborate with specific farmer support organisations to strengthen advisory capacity and accelerate regenerative agriculture adoption – enhancing supply resilience and supporting local farming communities.
• Contributing Partners: Corporations supporting existing or emerging organisations or the initiative at large.
• Philanthropic Partners: Including The Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation (PACT) and the PepsiCo Foundation, providing catalytic funding and strategic insight.
• Farmer Facing Support Partners: Phase I will include South East Research Farm (SERF), supporting farmers throughout the Canadian Prairies, and Practical Farmers of Iowa, supporting farmers across western Canada and the US, and Farm Advisor, a farmer-led, Indiana-based initiative that pairs experienced conservation farmers with peers to accelerate the adoption of soil health practices through mentorship, education, and on-farm support.

Over the next two years, STEP up for Ag will aim to facilitate peer learning, host annual in-person workshops and develop shared tools and resources to scale impact.

Looking ahead, STEP up for Ag is launching its first European pilot with the farmer-led cooperative Garlan in Spain. Over the next year, Garlan – supported by the Earthworm Foundation– will design its own regenerative agriculture program to offer to farmers, improving access to high-quality guidance and advice on regenerative practices. This pilot builds on earlier engagement in Türkiye, where EIT Food hosted a regional workshop that brought together farmer support organisations, corporate partners, and NGOs to explore how STEP Up for Ag could take shape locally. Together, these efforts mark the start of a broader push to strengthen advisory ecosystems and scale regenerative agriculture across Europe and other global landscapes.

Through this partnership – and with the potential future involvement of additional major organisations – this growing network aims to help drive meaningful, long-term progress toward a more sustainable agricultural future.