Across the globe, the future of food is being shaped by an urgent question: Who will grow it next?
Agriculture is at a pivotal moment. Farmers are being asked to produce food, adapt to a changing climate, protect soil health and play a part in strengthening rural economies. Yet in many major farming regions, farmers are getting older while too few young people are entering the sector. In Europe, only around 11% of farm managers are under 40. In the U.S., producers under 35 represent just 9% of all farmers, while the average producer age is 58.1.
Global challenge, local pathways
For PepsiCo, a food and drinks company rooted in agriculture, this transition matters. The company sources crops from farmers in more than 60 countries, making resilient harvests, healthy soil and thriving farming communities essential to its long-term success.
Young and early-career farmers often face significant barriers, from land access and capital to rising costs, unpredictable weather, technology choices and the challenge of building a profitable business. PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation are supporting programs that help address those barriers in practical ways: building skills and confidence among young farmers in Europe, creating agriculture career pathways in the U.S., strengthening smallholder plantain communities in Latin America and supporting emerging farmers and food system entrepreneurs in South Africa.
Europe: Building skills for resilient, future-ready farms
In Europe, Future Harvest, backed by the PepsiCo Foundation and delivered with EIT Food and local partners, aims to support around 900 young and next-generation farmers across France, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, and Türkiye in 2026. Through online learning, farm experiences, mentoring, peer exchange and field visits, participants build practical skills in regenerative and climate-resilient farming, digital tools, agritech, farm business management, entrepreneurship and leadership.
The goal is to help farmers apply what they learn directly on their land and in their businesses. “Our connection to agriculture starts with the people who grow the crops that make our products possible. Supporting the next generation of farmers is essential to building a more resilient food system,” said Monica Bauer, senior vice president, Global Social Impact, PepsiCo, and president, PepsiCo Foundation.
U.S.: Creating clearer pathways into agriculture careers
In the U.S., PepsiCo Foods North America’s Planting Pathways Initiative is focused on expanding opportunity in agriculture and strengthening the pipeline of future agriculture leaders through collaborations with Practical Farmers of Iowa and Farm Foundation.
One part of that work is Field to Future, a two-year leadership and career development program that supports college students interested in agriculture and food systems through scholarships, mentorship, networking, professional development, value chain exposure and potential paid internships with PepsiCo’s agriculture supply chain.
For Maya Cohen, a Field to Future intern, that experience made agriculture feel more practical and attainable. “Although taking classes is useful, there is nothing like getting hands-on experience. The combination of mentorship, workshops and an internship that the Field to Future program offers is ultimately incomparable.”
That exposure can turn interest into opportunity. Members of the first Field to Future cohort have taken part in monthly connects, industry events and development experiences, including Potato Expo and the Women in Agribusiness Summit. Several have gone on to employment at PepsiCo after completing the program.
Latin America: Strengthening smallholder livelihoods to attract new growers
In Latin America, the pipeline challenge looks different. For many smallholder farmers, the question is how to strengthen livelihoods and make farming more resilient for families already working the land. Plantain, a key crop used to make NatuChips, is one example.
Through the PepsiCo Foundation’s three-year Agrovita program with Proforest, Walmart Foundation Mexico and TechnoServe, plantain, palm oil and cocoa farmers in Mexico are receiving training and tools to improve soil health, increase yields and strengthen farm resilience. The program has engaged 4,255 farmers in regenerative practices across more than 8,000 hectares and established 20 demonstration farms, 17 community orchards and 14 rainwater harvesting systems.
“Los PAPIs,” the first rural cooperative formed through the collaboration, was able to sell plantain to PepsiCo Mexico Foods for NatuChips, connecting smallholder farmers to a branded product while helping build local capability and organization.
For Gustavo Méndez, a participating smallholder plantain farmer and member of Los PAPIs cooperative, that connection has helped make the future feel more secure. “Before Agrovita, we sold our product to intermediaries. Today, we see ourselves as entrepreneurs, and we have expanded our opportunities by supplying larger companies such as PepsiCo,” Méndez said.
South Africa: Supporting emerging farmers
In South Africa, that connection is coming to life through the Kgodiso Development Fund, established in 2020 by PepsiCo following the acquisition of Pioneer Foods. The fund helps commercialize farmer enterprises across the South African food system through inclusive funding, tailored business support and improved access to markets.
In the Northern Cape, where PepsiCo is a large procurer of raisins for its Safari and Simba brands, Kgodiso has invested in a program with Raisins South Africa to establish a Vine Academy and Model Farm in Kakamas, as well as funding for three up-and-coming farmers to expand raisin production. The academy provides practical training for emerging farmers and farm workers, while the model farm supports research and best-practice demonstration. For aspiring farmers, that combination of skills, technical support and route-to-market access can help turn farming from a fragile livelihood into a more viable enterprise.