Knorr Unveils Next Generation Regenerative Agriculture Project at Sustainable Brands

Since 2015, Knorr has been producing all of its staple vegetables in Turkey through sustainable farming practices. Last April, the brand took another pioneering step in innovative agriculture with its Knorr Next Generation Regenerative Agriculture Project . Having begun trials of regenerative agriculture in mint production, the brand shared details of its new project at the Sustainable Brands Conference held at the Swissotel Bosphorus in Istanbul on September 17-18.

In the session titled “Blooming Technology on the Soil: From Scarecrow to Artificial Intelligence”, Knorr Brand Manager and Unilever Turkey Food Category Marketing Leader Melisa Kısacık Efeoğlu and project partner Doktar Founding Partner and CEO Tanzer Bilgen answered the questions of Food Engineer Ebru Akdağ.

The way to improve soil health and create renewable ecosystems is through regenerative agriculture.

Opening the session , Food Engineer Ebru Akdağ shared striking data on soil health in Turkey and around the world with the participants. The session emphasized that incorrect agricultural practices are among the most significant factors damaging soil, a natural ecosystem. Knorr Brand Manager and Unilever Turkey Food Category Marketing Leader Melisa Kısacık Efeoğlu stated: “At Knorr, we have a brand legacy based on sustainable agriculture. Today, in addition to sustainable agriculture, we need to take steps towards systems that regenerate the soil.”

Melisa Kısacık Efeoğlu, who also touched upon Unilever’s Compass strategy, which outlines its sustainability goals for the year 2030, continued her words as follows: “The Knorr New Generation Regenerative Agriculture Project is also a part of our Compass strategy, which aims to create renewable natural ecosystems. Our project, which is a first for Unilever Turkey, is also the first regenerative agriculture initiative in the spice category in our country. For now, we started as a small-scale project with only mint; however, we want to expand this movement by sharing the knowledge and experience we have gained from this with our sector. In addition, we will ensure that higher quality products enter the tables of the end consumer with the project.”

Artificial Intelligence and Data-Driven Technologies Offer Innovative Solutions for Regenerative Agriculture

Knorr, which creates end-to-end traceability from planting to harvest in the field with the technological devices it has placed in the New Generation Restorative Agriculture Field, uses devices that continuously collect data from the field and convert this data into information for the farmer with artificial intelligence. The technological devices offered by the brand's project partner Doktar thus prevent the soil from being overwatered, fertilized and sprayed.

Tanzer Bilgen, Co-Founder and CEO of Doktar, stated: “As Doktar, we are an agricultural information company aiming to create change in the agricultural sector through digitalization. We transform data collected from various sources into agricultural information using artificial intelligence. Traditional farming practices lead to excessive irrigation, fertilization, and the overuse of chemicals; this reduces the organic matter content of the soil and lowers its water retention capacity. Improving soil health means increasing vitality and biodiversity in the soil. We know that such agriculture is possible. With our collaboration with Knorr, we will contribute to farmers changing their old habits.”

Source: HORECA TREND and Knorr