Partnership on Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture

Purdue University and Bayer announced the creation of the Coalition for Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture, a public-private partnership designed to help improve the soil health of farmland while also increasing food production for a growing population.  The coalition’s mission is to generate robust, real-world data in support of regenerative agriculture practices to help farmers restore soil health and biomass, increase biodiversity, and improve the resiliency of ecosystems over time.  The coalition’s new frameworks will also support education and outreach programs to enhance sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

“America’s farmers are already global leaders in providing food worldwide, supplying a substantial amount of grain, meat, and other agricultural products,” said Karen Plaut, executive vice president for research at Purdue. “But with population projections of nine billion people in the years ahead, it’s critical to provide the tools that support those farmers who are called upon to produce even more while stewarding their lands.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to see us working alongside like-minded partners — such as Purdue University — who are committed to helping scale regenerative ag practices,” said Bob Reiter, head of research and development at Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “Through our suite of technologies, we are able to leverage these innovations and help facilitate regenerative ag practice adoption that boosts farmer productivity and creates maximum impact for the environment.”

The coalition aims to deliver science-based recommendations and standardized metrics, tailored by crop type, region and climate, in conjunction with digital tools and robust validation systems.

To achieve this vision, the coalition will focus on several key areas:

• Climate-smart agriculture: Integrate technology to adapt to changing weather patterns, improve water management and optimize resource use.
• Regenerative practices: Develop more robust practices that capture and store carbon in the soil. Promote techniques that improve soil health and biodiversity and enhance long-term productivity.
• Farmer empowerment: Provide farmers with the tools, knowledge and resources they need to adopt sustainable practices and access premium markets for their products.
• Profitability and policy advocacy: Provide additional scientific research that supports or incentivizes sustainable practices for farmers and landowners.

The coalition will leverage previous investments in digital phenotyping capabilities at Purdue Agronomy Center for Research and Education (ACRE) and at the Purdue Agricultural Centers (PACs) and will utilize dynamic and relevant Extension programs, strength in collaborative research across colleges, and support for related projects that are underway. It will build on these existing strengths to create test beds for sustainable and regenerative agriculture technologies that provide demonstrations for a wide variety of agricultural production systems and technologies — regardless of farm scale or end product.

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