Cargill deepens commitment to regenerative agriculture in Brazil
Regenera Cerrado is part of Cargill’s broader sustainability strategy, which includes commitments to advance regenerative agriculture across 10 million acres globally by 2030.
BRAZIL – Cargill has reaffirmed its support for regenerative agriculture in Brazil through its continued sponsorship of the Regenera Cerrado program, a pioneering initiative aimed at transforming farming practices in the country’s vital Cerrado biome.
The program, launched in 2022, focuses on promoting sustainable soil management and ecosystem resilience, particularly for soybean and corn cultivation.
During the drought-stricken 2023-24 season, Regenera Cerrado monitored 12 farms across 7,841 hectares in the Rio Verde region of southwestern Goiás.
Despite challenging conditions, farms using regenerative practices outperformed conventional ones, yielding an average of 69 bags of soybeans per hectare, compared to 66 bags in conventional plots and a statewide average of just 56 bags per hectare.
The results were unveiled at the third Regenera Cerrado Workshop held in August 2025 at the Instituto Federal Goiás in Rio Verde.
Cargill’s South America Sustainability Director, Letícia Kawanami, emphasized the program’s impact: “We believe regenerative agriculture and sustainable soil management influence both climate and community, benefiting producers and consumers alike.”
The initiative is coordinated by the BioSistêmico Institute (IBS) and supported by a consortium of research institutions, including EMBRAPA, the Federal Universities of Lavras, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Viçosa, and Campinas, as well as EPAMIG and the Goiano Federal Institute.
A team of 35 researchers has spent three years analyzing data from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 harvests, validating practices linked to soil health, entomology, and plant pathology.
Regenera Cerrado is part of Cargill’s broader sustainability strategy, which includes commitments to advance regenerative agriculture across 10 million acres globally by 2030.
In Brazil, the program is helping farmers adopt techniques such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, and nutrient optimization, methods that improve soil structure, reduce erosion, and enhance biodiversity.
Cargill’s involvement also complements its partnership with Mosaic in the ReSolu program, which provides farmers with biological inputs and technical support to further regenerative goals.
As Brazil grapples with climate variability and soil degradation, Cargill’s support for regenerative agriculture signals a long-term investment in sustainable food systems, one that blends scientific rigor with farmer-led innovation.
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