ADM announces regenerative farmland target for 2025 in new sustainable agriculture report

23 Jul 2024 --- ADM has released its second annual report, presenting global advancements in adopting and promoting regenerative agriculture practices.

The nutrition player says it transitioned over 2.8 million acres of land to regenerative agriculture in 2023 in collaboration with 28,000 growers. It has set a target of 3.5 million acres in 2024 and 5 million acres in 2025.

The latest report highlights that ADM’s regenerative agriculture acres reduced its Scope 3 footprint by 310,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Additionally, the report shares individual statistics of its UK program, where canola farmers using regenerative practices on 4,200 acres of land have slashed nitrogen use by 40%.

Regenerative farming
The company defines regenerative agriculture as an “outcome-based farming approach that protects and improves soil health, biodiversity, climate and water resources while supporting farming business development.”

“Consumers are demanding more sustainably sourced products, and farmers know that enhancing soil health and biodiversity, being more efficient with inputs and improving carbon intensity is good for their businesses and critical for their futures,” says Greg Morris, president of ADM’s Agricultural Services and Oilseeds business.

“We believe it’s critical to share our progress in this area, show our data, and be specific about our goals so our stakeholders can see what our commitment means and how it translates to real progress. We continue to accelerate toward 5 million regenerative acres in 2025.”

Prioritizing farmers and sustainability
ADM works with farmers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific, connecting them with technical assistance partners Farmers Business Network, Map of Ag, American Farmland Trust, Ceres Rural and Bayer, among others. According to the company, its programs are adaptive to local needs.

ADM-partnered canola farmers using regenerative practices have slashed nitrogen use by 40% in the UK.“Regenerative agriculture is an example of how we partner with growers to support agriculture, strengthen our global food system and meet growing and evolving commercial demand while living up to our purpose and building a brighter tomorrow. The report is an important element of that work,” adds Morris.

In North America, for example, ADM’s re:generations agriculture program focuses on reducing carbon emissions in line with the company’s goal of reducing Scope 3 emissions by 25% by 2035 from a 2021 baseline.

Farmers participating in data collection get direct financial incentives for reporting specific outcomes and practices, such as double cropping in wheat rotations and maintaining soil fertility.

The company delivered over 1,400 in-person consultations and held 110 farmer meetings and field days as part of its North American program.

ADM’s sustainability moves in Poland include another partnership with Bayer to conduct a feasibility study to gauge the impact of regenerative agriculture practices in reducing carbon footprint while developing grower-specific plans for oilseed rape farmers covering 9,000 hectares.

ADM launched a program last year to minimize soil disturbance in Latin America, providing soil analysis and carbon assessment services. The company joined forces with key partners for its regenerative agriculture program in Brazil, where it will conduct assessments using a calculator developed by Bayer in partnership with Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation).

ADM partnered with over 25,000 soy growers in India, incentivizing organic manure, water conservation and elimination of child labor and gender discrimination in the region.

The company says it is continuing  work in sustainability by helping prominent consumer brands like PepsiCo, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Smucker and Carlsberg meet their sustainability and business targets by connecting them with farmers enrolled in several of its regenerative agriculture programs and other local partners with technical know-how.