The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted the Campbell Soup Company funding worth US$3.4 million to support sustainable tomato-growing practices in California, US. The move aims to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions while building soil health, supporting water stewardship and strengthening the profitability and resilience of tomato farms.

This comes as the agriculture industry faces climate change-related challenges and companies ramp up efforts to strengthen their supply chains’ resilience.

The Camden-based company has received the investment through the USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land, to support California processing tomatoes.

“Campbell’s and California tomato growers have a long history of partnering on sustainability,” says Stewart Lindsay, Campbell’s chief sustainability officer. 

“As farmers face increasing challenges from climate change, it is important that we support further adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices that improve soil health and enhance resilience.”

Farmer collaboration

Under the project, Campbell’s will partner with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) American Farmland Trust and several Resource Conservation Districts to increase the adoption of sustainable agriculture systems and practices by tomato growers in California. 

According to the company, the project partners have experience collaborating with California tomato growers to advance conservation agriculture. They will work with NRCS to provide new funding and technical assistance to tomato growers, reducing the costs and other barriers to adopting new soil health, nutrient management and irrigation management practices.

“This funding allows us to provide financial resources and technical support for farmers to adopt these practices quickly and conserve our precious natural resources, increase their climate resilience and support their farms’ business viability,” says Tom Stein, California regional director at the American Farmland Trust. 

Sustainability moves

Campbell’s claims it has long encouraged sustainable agriculture practices, particularly among tomato growers. Additionally, it has supported growers in employing practices that have helped to reduce fertilizer, water use and emissions. 

The company recently launched initiatives to encourage the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices, including establishing a grant fund to help address constraints to piloting and scaling up soil health practices.

In recent business updates, the company renamed itself The Campbell’s Company last month to align with its transformed portfolio and generated fiscal 2024 net sales worth US$9.6 billion.