PepsiCo Reports Sustainable Agricultural Progress in Mexico

In line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), PepsiCo is showcasing advances in its sustainable agriculture programs in Mexico. These initiatives are crucial to pep+ (PepsiCo Positivo), the company's transformative strategy aimed at building a more sustainable food system and enhancing the quality of life for individuals working in Mexican agriculture.

The strategy was presented to Víctor Villalobos, Ministry of Agriculture, in a meeting attended by key representatives from PepsiCo México. During the presentation, Santiago Arguello, General Coordinator of Agriculture, SADER, emphasized the significance of the National Soil Strategy for Sustainable Agriculture (ENASAS). This strategy, developed in response to global challenges such as droughts, high temperatures, storms, and untimely rains, aims to organize, coordinate, and strengthen the implementation of actions for the sustainable management of agricultural soils in Mexico. The focus is on decarbonization, moisture conservation, and the mitigation of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Hernán Tantardini, Vice President and General Manager, Sabritas, highlighted that PepsiCo's agricultural practices aim at protecting both soils and communities. "As an agro-industrial company, our goal is to care for the soils and the communities that work them. Thanks to this approach, our partner farmers have strengthened their productive capacities, improved their incomes, and now they have the opportunity to pass on land in better conditions to future generations." Tantardini explained. 

Addressing officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, company executives underscored key advancements in PepsiCo's strategy for the Mexican agricultural sector. Notably, the Agrovita program, supporting small-scale farmers of cocoa, banana, and palm in Campeche, Chiapas, and Tabasco states, benefitted 13,741 individuals in 2023, with 50% being women. The program implemented regenerative agriculture practices on 4,488ha, positively impacting community incomes since its inception in 2021.

They also presented progress in Agriba Sustentable, a program promoting conservation agriculture practices among wheat producers in Guanajuato and Michoacan. In its second year, the initiative positively influenced 4,936ha, resulting in a 37% reduction in production costs per hectare and a 34.5% decrease in CO2 emissions.

One of PepsiCo's highlighted goals in its Positive Agriculture agenda is to ensure that 100% of the maize it uses is sustainable by 2030. The company aims to achieve this by collaborating with 1,500 farmers from the Bajio states, as well as Sinaloa and Jalisco. In 2023, Sinaloa producers received the first sustainable maize certification, representing 20% of the total production destined for PepsiCo Mexico's portfolio.

Luis Ángel Rodríguez, Director General, National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock Research (INIFAP), emphasized the institute's capacity to support the development of improved drought-resistant varieties, tailored to each region's conditions. Meanwhile, Arguello highlighted the Mexican government's commitment to supporting sustainable agriculture through its science and research infrastructure.