Beer lovers who have been paying attention to agricultural forecasting are worried about the future of beer — and rightly so.
Experts are predicting that droughts and skyrocketing temperatures due to human-generated pollution could diminish the output of barley, a key ingredient of beer, significantly — so much so that the beer supply in the United States alone could fall by 20% by the end of the century, per World Wildlife Fund.
Fortunately, beer brand and industry giant Heineken is charting a course to avoid that outcome, setting an example of responsible production for its fellow beer makers. News site Edie reported that Heineken recently received its first harvest of barley produced on land "where regenerative agricultural practices have been adopted at scale."
Through working with a French farming and food processing cooperative, Vivescia, Heineken has introduced a program for its supplying farms that helps them to adopt sustainable farming methods around biodiversity, water use, climate resilience, soil health, and more. This will allow them to continue to grow in a responsible way while also contributing far less — and eventually, not at all — to the pollution that is causing global temperatures to rise.
The goal is to expand the program to 1,000 farms by 2026; approximately 200 are participating. In a press release, Heineken called the approach "a groundbreaking model for sustainable grain production."
"Agriculture represents approximately 21% of our total carbon footprint," Heineken senior director of global procurement Herve le Faou stated. "By investing in regenerative agriculture practices, we aim to not only reduce our environmental impact but also to strengthen the resilience of our supply chain for the future."
Vivescia President Christoph Büren said: "We support and guide farmers towards this new frontier with a solid agronomic approach, personalised support on the ground and robust funding. The transition must take place at the level of every farm."
Heineken is working to meet a goal of net zero for its entire value chain by 2040, and this program will be a large part of that regenerative transition. The company could serve as a role model for other industry giants, considering that only 15% of the world's farmland is maintained regeneratively.
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