FrieslandCampina: We support farmers to adopt regenerative agricultural practices

This impact story is part of a series featuring One Planet Business for Biodiversity member companies (OP2B)/WBCSD. Through these stories, we aim to demonstrate our members’ commitment to driving the transition to regenerative agricultural practices, the impact they have on farmers, and the role OP2B plays in supporting this transformation.

As the global dairy industry faces increasing scrutiny over its environmental impacts, FrieslandCampinaOne of the world’s largest dairy cooperatives, it is taking steps towards a more sustainable, future-proof dairy industry by embracing regenerative agriculture. Guus van Laarhoven, Nature Strategy Lead at FrieslandCampina, and Robert Nijkamp, ​​a Dutch farmer involved in FrieslandCampina’s pilot project, gave us an update on the company’s innovative approach to creating sustainable dairy farming systems across the supply chain.

Regenerative agriculture is being scaled up in many countries

The cooperative’s goal is to implement regenerative agricultural practices on a large scale in the dairy sector in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany by 2030. In the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, FrieslandCampina has expressed its commitment to regenerative agriculture, underpinned by a proactive approach to environmental management and a desire to promote resilient agricultural systems. “Dairy farming faces unprecedented challenges, especially due to tightening nitrogen regulations and rising input costs,” said Guus van Laarhoven.

The current way of farming is no longer sustainable under these pressures, and we see regenerative agriculture as one promising route to future-proof dairy products.

Guus van Laarhoven

To overcome these challenges, FrieslandCampina, Regenerative Agriculture Pilot It is aimed to improve soil health, biodiversity and water management in 2024. “As a cooperative, we have a responsibility to seek innovation and help our members integrate these sustainable practices into their own agricultural systems,” Van Laarhoven said.

In order to promote regenerative agriculture on a larger scale, FrieslandCampina cooperates with the following partners: Danone, arla, rabobank And dsm-ferminichDeveloped the Future-proof Dairy Initiative. This initiative is a localized framework that ensures that regenerative agriculture is compatible with both environmental sustainability and economic sustainability for dairy farmers in Northwest Europe. The company also tracks key indicators of soil health and greenhouse gas emissions to measure progress and ensure farmers are on the right track. “We have developed a methodology that uses a phased approach to measure key results, ensuring farmers know exactly where they stand and what improvements are needed.” van Laarhoven noted.

Data matters in farm management decisions

Robert Nijkamp’s 24-hectare farm in Raalte, the Netherlands, is part of FrieslandCampina’s pilot project. Nijkamp explained that as one of the first steps, he eliminated corn from the planting rotation in favor of grass, which significantly reduced the need for soybeans.

Understanding where his farm stands on the phased approach to regenerative agriculture is FrieslandCampina’s pilot project. Another major advancement he implemented was the switch from liquid to solid fertilizer to improve soil health; however, this required a significant upfront investment.

This is a long-term development, but it causes financial distress in the short term.

Robert Nijkamp

It also began analyzing turf quality through sampling, optimizing fertilizer use and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers.

The data-driven nature of the pilot project is at the heart of Nijkamp’s farm management. “Measurement is very important. It’s hard to make improvements without knowing your foundation. “The data we collect is crucial to identifying the tools we can use to move towards regenerative agriculture,” he explained.

Phased approach to regenerative agriculture

FrieslandCampina’s pilot uses phases to support farmers at different levels of readiness. The “kick-off” phase begins with baseline measurement, where farmers work with a coach to create a plan and choose the practices they will adopt. After learning the principles of regenerative agriculture, farmers in the “Active” stage apply techniques such as reducing corn or planting herb-rich pastures, managing financial and yield risks as they adapt.

Peer-to-peer learning is vital at this stage, with farmers sharing best practices and results and exchanging photos and data on crop yields and soil health through informal networks such as WhatsApp groups. “We have seen significant growth in how farmers are managing these new systems by learning from each other,” Van Laarhoven said.

In the final – or “Development” – phase, farmers make significant investments such as adopting new manure management techniques. Banks and other investors often play a key role in supporting these long-term investments. Experience shows that regenerative transition Farming takes approximately three to seven years, depending on the farmer’s starting point. In this final phase, farmers also face government policies that in some cases further complicate the transition. Supportive government policies are a key success factor in making regenerative agriculture possible at scale.

OP2B’s role in scaling regenerative agriculture

FrieslandCampina’s participation in OP2B played a crucial role in expanding regenerative agriculture initiatives. “OP2B’s network is vital in promoting collaborations that extend beyond the dairy sector. OP2B provides guidance on measuring the outcomes of regenerative agriculture and connects financial institutions, policy makers and supply chain actors to accelerate the transition. Such connections help provide farmers with the financial and technical support they need. It helps us bridge the gap between the flexibility that farmers need and the rigid frameworks that investors need,” van Laarhoven explained.

Regenerative agriculture; It is a critical solution to transform the way we produce food, feed and fiber to benefit climate, nature and people. In the coming years, the OP2B coalition will focus on unlocking three strategic key levers to scale up regenerative agriculture: harmonizing measurement, promoting collaborations to support farmers’ transition, advocating for supporting policies to create the enabling environment.