PepsiCo has unveiled plans to reduce both the water usage and carbon output of its farms, by using a new “precision farming” technology called i-crop. The software is expected to help the company reach its goal of reducing carbon emissions and water output by 50 percent by 2015.
Created in conjunction with Cambridge University, i-crop will help farmers manage the amount of water they use and the emissions they output, while at the same time allowing them to yield a larger number of crops. “The food industry is starting to recognize that in order to fully embed sustainability and biodiversity in its business practices, a large part of the focus must be on the agricultural supply chain,” said Richard Perkins, Senior Commodities Adviser at WWF. “In this respect PepsiCo U.K. has taken a leadership role in recognizing that it is, at its heart, an agricultural business.”
i-crop is currently being put through a trial phase in 22 farms across the UK, and is expected to then spread across Europe and the United States in 2011. Farms in India, China, Mexico and Australia, meanwhile, are expected to start using the tech in 2012.
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