New consortium focuses on holistic, data-driven approach to creating sustainable, resilient agricultural practices
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — On Thursday (Sept. 19), Purdue University and Bayer announced the formation of the Coalition for Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture, a public-private partnership aimed at improving soil health on farmland and increasing food production for a growing population.
The coalition’s mission is to generate robust, real-world data that supports regenerative agriculture practices and help farmers restore soil health and biomass, increase biodiversity, and improve ecosystem resilience over time. The coalition’s new framework will also support education and outreach programs to strengthen sustainable regenerative agriculture.
The coalition will operate through Bayer at Convergence, the company’s innovation center in Purdue’s Discovery Park neighborhood.
“American farmers are already global leaders in feeding the world, providing significant amounts of grain, meat and other agricultural products,” said Purdue University vice president for research Karen Prout. “But with a population projected to reach 9 billion people in the next few years, it’s critical that we provide the tools necessary to support farmers who are being asked to produce more while also serving as stewards of the land. As a land-grant institution, Purdue is proud to partner with Bayer to find innovative solutions to improve agricultural practices.”
The coalition’s goal is to accelerate the adoption of agricultural systems that restore soil, water and wildlife, making farms healthier and more resilient. The partners say there is a growing need for innovative solutions at scale to create positive, measurable impacts to address environmental challenges and motivate producers.
“We are excited to work with like-minded partners like Purdue University, who are committed to expanding regenerative agriculture,” said Bob Reiter, research and development director for Bayer’s crop science division. “Through our suite of technologies, we can leverage these innovations to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices that increase farm productivity and maximize environmental impact.”
The coalition aims to provide science-based recommendations and standardized metrics tailored to crop type, region and climate, combined with digital tools and robust verification systems.
To achieve this vision, the Coalition will focus on several key areas:
Climate-smart agriculture: Integrate technologies to adapt to changing weather patterns, improve water management, and optimize resource use. Regenerative agriculture: Develop more robust farming methods that capture and store carbon in the soil. Promote technologies that improve soil health and biodiversity and increase long-term productivity. Farmer empowerment: Provide farmers with the tools, knowledge and resources they need to adopt sustainable farming methods and market their products to upscale markets. Profitability and policy advocacy: Provide additional scientific research that supports or encourages sustainable farming methods for farmers and landowners.
The coalition will leverage previous investments in digital phenotyping capabilities at the Purdue Agricultural Research and Education Center (ACRE) and the Purdue Agriculture Center (PAC) and will leverage the strength of dynamic and relevant Extension programs, inter-university collaborative research, and support of ongoing related projects. Building on these existing strengths, it will create a test bed for sustainable and regenerative agricultural technologies that will provide demonstration of a variety of agricultural production systems and technologies, regardless of farm size or end product.
It is hoped that this public-private partnership can be developed and expanded to other partners in the agricultural sector, allowing for an even larger field network to test and collect data on more holistic farming approaches.
The newly signed agreement is the latest in a growing partnership: Following an announcement in June 2020, Bayer opened an innovation and collaboration space at the Convergence Center that will serve as the physical home for the new coalition.
“We are excited to see Bayer and Purdue University take their ongoing partnership to a new level, enabling the creation of a world-class research hub focused on regenerative agriculture,” said Susana Diaz, innovation manager and director of Bayer’s Innovation Center at Purdue University. “This initiative will help farmers produce more and unlock downstream value while actively restoring nature.”
The announcement was made in conjunction with Bayer’s Climate Innovation Day, a two-day summit bringing together leaders and stakeholders in agricultural innovation, climate and food sustainability efforts.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution that demonstrates excellence at scale. Ranked among the top 10 public universities in the U.S. and with two universities ranked in the top four, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with unmatched quality and scale. More than 105,000 students learn at Purdue in a variety of ways and places, with nearly 50,000 learning face-to-face at the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition for 13 consecutive years. Learn how Purdue never stops for its next big leap with its first integrated urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computing, One Health initiatives and more at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core activities in the life science fields of healthcare and nutrition. In line with the company’s mission “Health for All, No Hunger”, the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges posed by a growing and aging world population. Bayer is committed to promoting sustainable development and creating a positive impact through its operations. At the same time, the Group aims to enhance profitability and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand is a symbol of trust, reliability and quality around the world. In fiscal 2023, the Group had around 100,000 employees and generated sales of 47.6 billion euros. Research and development expenses before special items amounted to 5.8 billion euros. For more information, please visit www.bayer.com.