Ground Up: Soil Health Reshaping Farming and Supply Chains
Germany’s potato supply chains are fighting drought and erosion head-on through regenerative soil strategies like cover cropping, mulching, and reduced tillage. These practices are boosting yields, cutting losses, and building climate-resilient, profitable supply chains.
Soil on the Brink and Wake-Up Call
More than 60% of EU farmland is degraded—threatening food production, farmer livelihoods, and the stability of entire supply chains. This isn’t just an environmental crisis; it’s a financial one, costing the EU an estimated €50 billion annually in lost ecosystem services like water retention, carbon storage, and nutrient cycling. As climate extremes intensify, farmers and corporates alike are feeling the squeeze. Crop failures, price shocks, and soil fatigue are becoming the norm across food, retail, and agri-processing industries. In this fragile landscape, soil health is no longer a sustainability option—it’s a business imperative. Forward-looking companies are starting to shift, embracing nature-positive models that combine regenerative sourcing, hands-on farmer engagement, and proactive soil restoration. These models don’t just buffer against risk; they unlock long-term profitability, resilience, and brand trust in an era where climate accountability is everything.
Regenerating the Roots: Potato Farming in Action
Germany, the EU’s potato powerhouse, producing around 22% of all European output, stands at a critical crossroads. Its potato growers are battling depleted soils, unpredictable rainfall, and eroding yields. In fact, a staggering 98% of German potato farmers report direct climate-related impacts on their operations. Yet the soil story doesn’t have to end in loss. Regenerative agriculture is proving that there’s another way. Across the region, practices like cover cropping, live mulching, composting, and reduced tillage are driving real results: profits up by as much as 60% and yield losses slashed by 50% during drought seasons. McCain Foods' "Project 360°" in northern France is helping farmers integrate rotating cover crops, biodiversity strips, and predictive fertilization tools is proving that regeneration pays. A model that could easily be scaled in Germany’s own potato-growing heartlands.
Regeneration as Smart Strategy
betterSoil comes in to turn strategy into action by working directly with farmers through soil assessment and collaborative workshops that connect field-level change to supply-chain outcomes. Our work empowers companies to not just track impact but actually drive it. What’s emerging is a new playbook for sustainability: pilot farms backed by data, long-term financing for de-risk transition, and actionable trial learnings that link to tangible business results. Regenerative agriculture is no longer a fringe movement—it’s a competitive advantage. The future of farming begins beneath our feet. The potato industry shows the way.