PEPSICO:FOOD and drinks conglomerate PepsiCo is introducing new smart farming technologies with the aim of helping its suppliers to halve the carbon and water footprints of their foods over the next five years.
Under the plan, farmers who supply foods, such as oats, apples and potatoes, to the maker of Quaker Oats, 7Up and Pepsi drinks and Walkers crisps will start using internet crop management tools, low carbon fertilisers and greener machinery.
Icrop, a web-based crop management tool developed in conjunction with Cambridge University, will be installed on a trial basis on 350 farms. It allows growers to track crop input and output in order to accurately calculate water use and carbon emissions.
Potato farmers will use a computerised carbon calculator called the Cool Farm Tool, which shows how much carbon dioxide is emitted during each part of the farming cycle. The aim is to help farmers to understand how much carbon is emitted during various practices.
PepsiCo will also support its suppliers to invest in tractors and other machinery with the latest fuel-efficient technology.
While encouraging the use of solar and wind power to generate energy on farms, the company is also investigating whether the latest energy storage technologies have a part to play.
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