Positive Agriculture

We’re working to source our crops & ingredients in ways that restore the earth and support sustainable farming practices.

Walker: Great taste starts here

A better food system means better outcomes for the earth, and all of us.

Agriculture is the foundation of a sustainable food system and is at the heart of our business. We partner with more than 350 farmers across the UK to locally source the highest quality ingredients, including potatoes and oats.

We recognise the importance of sustainably sourcing our crops and aim to work with farmers through dedicated programs and trials to make agriculture more resilient, intelligent and inclusive.

This forms part of our Positive Agriculture strategy to focus on regenerative farming practices and empowering farming communities. Our Global goals include: working to spread the adoption of regenerative practices across seven million acres of land used to grow our crops and ingredients for our products; sustainably sourcing 100% of our key crops and ingredients; and, improving the livelihoods of more than 250,000 people in our global agricultural supply chain and communities, all by 2030.

Two people working in a farm field

Sustainable Farming Program

We work with growers to reduce their impact on the environment and adapt to climate change. Through our Sustainable Farming Program, we provide them with in-field agronomy support, as well as tools and practices that track water use, reduce carbon, and improve yield.

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Sustainable Farming Program

  • We have partnered with the Cool Farm Alliance to use the award-winning Cool Farm Tool, which ultimately helps cut growers’ greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Alongside partners, we developed CropTrak, an innovative system that measures agronomy practices including monitoring the growing crop, which allows us to work with growers to improve quality and the environment.
  • To help keep the soil healthy for the crops that we grow our products in, we are aiming to increase the number of cover crops grown in the fields before each season’s potato crop is planted, capturing important nutrients in the process.
  • We also encourage our growers to plant wildlife-friendly biodiversity mixes – loved by bees and other flying insects alike – around fields and on land not used to grow our potatoes.

Growing oats sustainably

With over 100,000 metric tonnes of oats going through our Quaker mill in Scotland every year, we support growers by giving them useful data and insights to help produce the best quality Quaker Oats, while protecting the planet.

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Open field of wheat

Growing oats sustainably

  • We spearheaded the launch of the UK’s first Oat Growth Guide. Designed to help farmers grow the perfect oat, it aims to deliver a 5-10% increase in yield and create a more sustainable crop.
  • The Oat Growth Guide builds on work started with our Opti-Oat platform, which provides science-based crop intelligence to support sustainable oat production. The platform uses weather data, climate projections, and satellite-enabled remote sensing of crop status to provide yield and development insights. Additionally, the platform digitally benchmarks the performance of crops.
  • We also have a research lab dedicated to testing oats in partnership with the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB). Home to state-of-the-art grain quality testing facilities, expert crop researchers test and analyse thousands of oat samples from agricultural research trials. Data collected will be used to support our UK Quaker Oats growers to optimise their management practices to improve yields and efficiency, ensuring a more sustainable, high-quality supply of oats.
  • We are funding Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) membership and supporting the achievement of LEAF Marque certification for more than 300 UK-based Quaker Oats growers. Through the principles of Integrated Farm Management, crops grown at LEAF Marque-accredited farms support an improved environment for biodiversity, soil health, water and air quality, alongside the production of quality food such as oats.
Hands holding three potatoes

Low carbon farming

As threats from climate change mount, we’re working together with our farmers to reduce our collective carbon footprint and create a more sustainable food system – including some significant investments in innovative carbon-cutting agriculture solutions.

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Low carbon farming

  • We’ve joined forces with British clean-tech firm CCm Technologies to reduce our carbon footprint by turning our potato waste into fertilizer. By turning leftover waste into a reusable resource, we’re driving more circularity in the growing process for both potatoes and oats, helping farmers reduce their impact on the environment. In fact, results from trial fields using the fertilizers over the past growing season has shown a 70% reduction in fertilizer production and field related greenhouse gas emissions.
  • We’re leading a cross-industry consortium working to develop novel machinery and cultivation practices for UK-based potato farms to minimise tillage intensity, improve soil health and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Positive Agriculture Outcomes Fund

Two projects in the UK are benefitting from the global Positive Agriculture Outcomes Fund, an initiative designed to invest in accelerating the development of innovative technologies and approaches that can help scale the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices.

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Open field of flowers

Positive Agriculture Outcomes Fund (PAO)

  • The first is helping Quaker Oat growers in Scotland maintain a productive farm, whilst improving biodiversity and enhancing wildlife habitats. The project brings together farming and wildlife experts to create a science-based approach and recommendations which work both for the grower and for wildlife.
  • The second is our ‘Living Roots’ project, aimed at improving soil health on some of the fields where we grow potatoes used to make Walkers crisps. We are providing growers with seeds to grow different species of radishes; these naturally release chemicals that, at low doses, helps reduce the amount of soil-borne pests. This helps keep the soil healthier in preparation for potato planting.
Solar panel in a forest

Improving water-efficiency

Water is fundamental to our food system and to our business, as water nourishes the crops used to make our products. But, climate change is worsening pressures on water resources around the globe, so we believe a global effort to be Net Water Positive is essential.

Our ESG Summary

This report shows how we made progress toward our pep+ goals to help build a more sustainable food system.

Explore our ESG Summary
Environmental, Social & Governance Topics A-Z
Hands holding potatoes

Learn more about how we’re making a difference