BASEL, SWITZERLAND - Syngenta, leader in technology and innovation in agriculture, and PepsiCo, global leader in food and beverages, are working in collaboration with the aim of boosting regenerative and traceable agriculture in the food industry value chain in a transparent and verifiable way.

During the first year of joint work, Syngenta provided PepsiCo with 4,000 tons of sunflower oil from fields of farmers in the province of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, San Luis and Santa Fe, who applied regenerative agriculture practices.

In a second stage, it is expected to increase the hectares that implement these practices by at least 25 percent. Through Syngenta's Sustainable Sourcing Program, a press release explained, farmers can trace the good practices carried out on their fields like crop rotation, cover crops, irrigation efficiency, use of biological products, and pollinator habitat development, among others with constant support and monitoring from Syngenta, and obtain an additional value per ton, which is granted by the verification of these practices. The process includes third-party validation, ensuring security throughout the entire commercial chain.

The commercialization of sunflower grain is carried out through Syngenta's AVC (Agriculture Value Chain) program, which facilitates the exchange and export of oil.

The traceability of field practices is executed through Syngenta's Cropwise digital platform, with which farmers can measure and verify their regenerative practices and implement continuous improvement plans, to ensure compliance of these practices.

“At Syngenta, sustainability is embedded in the business. Regenerating soil and nature through practices that aim to leave the system better than we found it, is a commitment we assume every day,” comments Mariale Álvarez, Head Sustainability & Corporate Affairs LATAM at Syngenta . “This time, together with a strategic partner like PepsiCo, with whom we share this same vision, we are taking this commitment one step further: farmers who join our Sustainable Sourcing Program receive an economic benefit by demonstrating the adoption of regenerative farming practices in their production process, which has a positive impact not only on the environment but also on their profitability” she explains.

“Companies have a great responsibility to care for and improve the way we produce food. At PepsiCo, everything we do is driven by sustainability at its core, within the framework of pep+, our global transformation strategy that aims to create and inspire positive change on the planet and in people,” comments Santiago Desmery, Oils Category Leader, PepsiCo Southern Cone and Brazil.

“With this project, PepsiCo Southern Cone becomes the company's first region at LATAM level to have 100% regenerative agriculture in the sunflower it uses,” adds Desmery.