This piece is part of the weekly series “Growing Forward: Insights for Building Better Food and Agriculture Systems,” presented by the Global Food Institute at the George Washington University and the nonprofit organization Food Tank. Each installment highlights forward-thinking strategies to address today’s food and agriculture related challenges with innovative solutions. To view more pieces in the series, click here.
In a small tilapia farm in Honduras, fish mortality once reached nearly 100 percent during the warm season due to a bacterial outbreak. That changed when Jeffry Palma, an aquaculture specialist from Cargill, worked with CARE and local farmers to introduce a targeted vaccine, along with instruction in disease prevention and pond management. Jeffry helped secure the vaccine from a trusted supplier and led hands-on training with farmers on how to administer it safely and effectively.
The result? Mortality rates dropped to just 2 percent, and communities began to see a path toward greater food security and resilience.
This kind of quiet transformation—powered by cross-sector collaboration and technical innovation—is taking place in food and agriculture systems around the world. And in a year like 2025, that progress matters more than ever.
We’re just five years from the target date of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. The world is behind where it needs to be—but progress is happening in places where collaboration unlocks new potential.
At Cargill, we believe that innovation at scale drives lasting impact. It’s not about disruption for disruption’s sake. It’s about advancing practical solutions that work for farmers, improve social and environmental outcomes, and move the entire system forward.
Cargill’s crop innovation scientists are working every day to improve plant genetics, defend crops from disease, and pioneer new functional traits—helping farmers grow more resilient plants to feed a growing global population. They are among the many research and development experts at Cargill helping create a stronger food system. This includes, for example, producing stevia through fermentation in a way that reduces land-use-related impacts by 96 percent, water use by 97 percent, and the carbon footprint by 81 percent compared to conventional sugar.
We’re also eliminating industrially produced trans-fatty acids (iTFAs) from all our edible oils—including in markets without regulation—and earned the #1 global ranking from the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNi) for doing so.
Finally, we see a lot of potential by working with TREES Consulting to create and publish the first Gold Standard-approved methodology for using feed supplements to reduce methane emissions in beef production.
In all of these ventures, it’s collaboration—especially with farmers and partners—that turns scientific advances into real-world progress. Importantly, we recognize that farmers are some of the most innovative and knowledgeable stakeholders in food and agriculture systems. Whether adopting new technologies, integrating regenerative practices from cover crops to agroforestry, or navigating supply chain pressures, their ingenuity is critical to building a more resilient agricultural future.
In Honduras and Guatemala, our partnership with CARE has helped smallholder producers adopt biodigesters that generate biogas and organic fertilizer—reducing emissions and helping participating households transition away from firewood and synthetic fertilizers. As Maria Pereira, a farmer from the community of El Bejuco, shared: “I no longer think about going for firewood, I just turn on the gas and the fire is already working.” This shift has freed up time that Maria now uses to run a food business in her community, improving her family’s income and independence.
In the United States, our Success from the Ground Up program supports state and local organizations that bring regenerative agriculture education directly to farmers. The program provides small and mid-sized grants to farmer networks, soil health coalitions, universities, and conservation groups—enabling on-the-ground innovation through regional roadshows, mobile apps, peer learning cohorts, and multimedia tools. These efforts are designed to meet farmers where they are, helping them build confidence and capacity to implement regenerative practices that work for their operations.
This farmer-first approach extends across our global partnerships. In early 2025, Bathiar Dollah, a farmer and community leader in Malaysia, was invited to join Solidaridad’s Smallholder Support Programme, an initiative supported by Cargill. Reflecting on the experience, he shared: “We learned about farm management, techniques for fertilization, prevention of Ganoderma [a harmful fungus], and much more. I think the programme is really good for us.”
Through this initiative, more than 800 smallholders have been trained in sustainable practices like better pruning, harvesting, and nutrient management—resulting in a 13.7 percent average yield increase among closely monitored participants. Bathiar is now applying these learnings on his own farm and sharing them with others in his community, demonstrating how farmer-focused partnerships can scale impact across regions.
We know the private sector alone can’t transform the food system. But we also know that this transformation cannot happen without business at the table. The future of our food system depends on more of us coming together to test, scale, and invest in solutions that nourish people and the planet.
It’s time to reinvent, redefine, and reimagine what’s possible—together.
