April 18, 2023

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

On November 15, 2021, the world population surpassed 8 billion on its way to breaching 10 billion by 2050. Connected with the expectation is the need to produce more food than has been produced in the past 10,000 years combined (staggering!). 

To accomplish this, it would require a 70 percent increase to today’s global food output. But we are approaching our limit of arable land, and between now and 2030, forecasts are that we will see a meager 4 percent increase in acreage. Therefore, this increase in production must come from improved yields rather than greater acres.

However, even if we do everything right, our best efforts would be for naught if not for healthy bees and pollination.

Almond production is heavily reliant on pollinators, especially honeybees, which are responsible for pollinating about 80 percent of the world’s almond crop. 

However, due to a perfect storm of factors, colonies are decreasing yearly, and in fact, in 2019, U.S. beekeepers lost 40 percent of their colonies, the highest national (some losses were much higher) winter losses ever recorded.

Regenerative agriculture practices, such as planting cover crops, reducing tillage, and incorporating native plant species into orchards, can improve soil health and provide habitat for pollinators.

Furthermore, regenerative agriculture practices can reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, which can be harmful to pollinators and other beneficial insects. By reducing the reliance on these inputs, regenerative agriculture practices can create an overall healthier environment for both the almond trees and the pollinators that support their production.

The stakes are well-known to KIND Snacks, a company where almonds are the number one ingredient in more than 45 of its products. As a purchaser of millions of pounds of almonds each year, and with a mission to create a kinder and healthier world, KIND is launching the KIND Almond Acres Initiative. 

This initiative is building upon KIND’s announcement last year outlining its progress in meeting its prior commitment to source 100 percent of its almonds from bee-friendly farms by 2025. Expanding upon this pledge, the KIND Almond Acres Initiative will expand the brand’s sustainable almond sourcing and provide key insights to help inform how it can source 100 percent of its almonds from orchards implementing regenerative agriculture practices on a mass balance basis by 2030. 

This initiative will introduce a combination of new technologies with best regenerative production practices across 500 acres in California owned and managed by KIND’s partner, Olam Food Ingredients (ofi). 

Strategically chosen by the two partners, the on-the-ground practices to be implemented include:

~ Cover crops: Using a blend of five cover crops to test the building of soil structure, increase soil carbon levels, create pollinator habitats, and help the land become more resilient in the face of climate change. 

~ Subsurface irrigation: California’s almond growers have committed to reducing the amount of water used to grow a pound of almonds by 20 percent by 2025. Working toward achieving this goal, KIND is examining the potential of technologies such as subsurface irrigation – a system that promises to allow growers to ensure more of the water applied is used directly by the trees. 

~ Whole orchard recycling: The pilot program will dedicate 38 acres to testing the effects of whole orchard recycling on soil health. Instead of burning trees when they reach the end of their productive lifespan, they will be ground into mulch and worked back into the soil. Additionally, almond shells can be transformed into biochar.

~ Composting and biochar: Testing if adding compost and biochar can increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil, decreasing fertilizer loads and increasing water retention. 

~ Off-ground harvesting: Harvest almonds directly from trees instead of off the ground to decrease soil disturbance and reduce the amount of generated dust in the air during harvest to improve both air quality and carbon sequestration. 

“ofi’s partnership with KIND represents a massive joint effort in regenerative agriculture. We are learning how to pair innovative sustainable technology with traditional farming practices, so we can find a combination that creates a positive change for the planet,” said Zac Ellis, senior director of agronomy, ofi. “Efforts like these leverage our global expertise to build a more sustainable way of farming almonds.”

Concurrently, KIND continues to invest in its supply chain, becoming a member of the California Water Action Collaborative (CWAC) – a network of leading environmental organizations, food/ag and beverage companies, and tech and retail companies working to pursue collective action projects that will improve California’s water security.

“KIND uses millions of pounds of almonds a year, so joining CWAC is a huge first step in collaborating with the broader industry while helping to build water resilience in California,” said Caitlin Birkholz, regenerative agriculture pillar lead, KIND, “and we cannot think of a better time to join than the launch of the KIND Almond Acres Initiative.”

KIND also explained that it is engaging consumers by inviting them to be involved in its regenerative ag journey through several immersive experiences across multiple digital platforms including Snapchat, virtual reality options, and long-form videos. 

“We know that regenerative agriculture can be challenging to understand. We know our consumers want to engage in learning how to be kinder to our planet, and that is why we’re welcoming everyone into the living, learning lab that is the KIND Almond Acres Initiative,” said Kelly Solomon, chief marketing officer, KIND. “We believe it is our responsibility to lead the almond industry towards a kinder way to grow almonds, and we are so proud and excited to be the brand paving the way.”

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Unconventional Ag. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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