National Geographic & PepsiCo's Regen Agriculture Projects

The National Geographic Society and PepsiCo have announced five new research grants designed to accelerate practical progress in regenerative agriculture — from rewilding farmlands to using artificial intelligence to translate complex genomics into actionable farming insights.

These projects, part of the Food for Tomorrow programme, represent a powerful intersection of science and storytelling focused on the long-term health of global food systems. The initiative, launched in 2025, is a collaboration between the National Geographic Society and PepsiCo that supports pioneering research, visual storytelling, and educational outreach centered on regenerative agriculture.

“The global food system is under increasing pressure from climate change and extreme weather, and meeting this moment requires supporting the people at the heart of it - the farmers,” says Jim Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer at PepsiCo.

“Farmers get one chance each season to make a crop succeed. That’s why strong, science-backed practices matter. By continuing to demonstrate what works, we can give farmers the confidence that regenerative agriculture not only helps build a more resilient food system but also strengthen their livelihoods.”

About the projects

Selected from more than 140 research proposals across the globe, the five scientists join a wider community of National Geographic Explorers — individuals working at the frontlines of conservation, climate science, and cultural understanding. Over the next two years, they will advance regenerative farming methods for climate-stressed crops such as wheat, maize, soy, potato and coffee, in diverse environments from the US Midwest to Indonesia’s tropical fields.

In southwestern Wisconsin, researcher Omar de Kok-Mercado is restoring native prairie ecosystems across maize, soy, and wheat farms through a connected “wild grid” of biodiverse corridors. His work merges ecological science with artistic storytelling to show how rewilding marginal farmland can rebuild soil health, biodiversity and resilience.

Also in Wisconsin, potato hub of the United States, Jamie Spychalla is testing the impact of integrating nitrogen-fixing alfalfa as a rotational, harvestable cover crop. Her research explores how this regenerative practice can mitigate climate pressure, improve soil structure, and boost yields while engaging local farming communities in collective learning.

In drought-prone Spain, Ahan Dalal is partnering with wheat and maize growers to trial locally adapted practices like biochar application, cover cropping, and beneficial microbial treatments. His goal: to develop a science-backed framework for Mediterranean farmers adapting to intensifying climate variability.

Meanwhile, in Ethiopia’s highlands – the birthplace of coffee – Hewan Degu is studying how intercropping coffee with potatoes may enhance soil microbiomes and protect coffee’s future under shifting weather patterns. Her work directly involves smallholder farmers, turning research into locally grounded guidance for regenerative farming.

On Indonesia’s depleted maize lands, Al Greeny S. Dewayanti is introducing sacha inchi, an omega-3-rich vine, as an intercrop to regenerate soil. Her project also blends traditional agricultural knowledge with modern technologies such as DNA metabarcoding and an emerging AI-driven farmer advisory app.

Telling the regenerative agriculture story

These five scientists join another group of Food for Tomorrow Explorers focused on storytelling – photographers, filmmakers and journalists documenting real-world transitions to regenerative farming in over a dozen countries. Their work is set to culminate later in 2026 in interactive exhibitions, visual reports and digital campaigns highlighting global agricultural transformation.

Together, these efforts reflect a pivotal shift in how science, corporate sustainability, and storytelling can unite to drive food system resilience. PepsiCo, which aims to promote regenerative practices across 10 million acres worldwide by 2030, continues to see collaboration as key to delivering lasting environmental and community impact.

“For over a century, the Society has been funding innovative science to better understand our world. Regenerative agriculture is an exciting new area of focus for us,” says Ian Miller, Chief Science and Innovation Officer at the National Geographic Society. 

“This work is deeply interconnected with many longstanding issues that we tackle: safeguarding freshwater and coastal ecosystems; restoring landscapes to support biodiversity, reduce our carbon footprint, and secure irrecoverable carbon reserves and more.”