A view of the rice field where Bayer’s SMI is being implemented
After the initial success, Bayer plans to expand its Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) which focusses on scaling up regenerative agriculture in the basmati rice systems in India to over 16,000 hectares this year.
SMI is a global initiative of King Charles and Bayer is one of the companies part of the Workstream 5 that focused on basmati rice with an aim to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices. Bayer launched the SMI transition hub in 2020 to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices. India was one of the targeted regions, where the SMI focused on the basmati rice system in the key producing states of Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
During 2024, the SMI solutions were implemented with some 2,500 farmers covering about 12,000 hectares in these States. The company found that adoption of the regenerative practices led to improvement in soil health, yields and profitability, while reducing the water usage, resulting in an overall positive impact on the farmers’ livelihoods.
Basmati rice systems are highly water-intensive, requiring an average of 2,500 litres of water to produce 1 kg.
Higher yields reported
During 2024, the initiative helped improve farmers livelihoods through training, technology adoption and market access. About 55 per cent of the farmers who adopted technologies such as alternate wetting and drying and IoT sensors reduced water consumption by about six per cent. The soil sampling on 200 farms revealed soil imbalances in about 50 per cent of the fields and low organic carbon in 12 per cent. About 1,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions were reduced and farmers enrolled in carbon farming programs saw additional revenue streams and up to a 9 per cent increase in yields.
Farmers reported up to a 9 per cent increase in yields and also realised a 20 revenue boost for farmers selling in export markets. As part of the initiative, SMI partners purchased around 23,000 tonnes of basmati rice from participating farmers for export markets.
As part of expanding the initiative this year, SMI plans to introduce additional solutions such as affordable farm mechanisation tools to enhance productivity and expand IOT sensor pilots for better water management, besides strengthening partnerships by engaging new stakeholders across the value chain, including governments, agritech companies, and financial institutions.
Focus on collecting data
The initiative will also focus on collecting comprehensive data on soil health, water usage, and carbon emissions to refine solutions and measure impact.
Natasha Santos, Head of Sustainability & Strategic Engagement at Crop Science Division, Bayer said “ Through our collective efforts under the SMI umbrella, we’ve seen farmers boost their revenue by up to 20 per cent and improve yields by 9 per cent, all while dramatically cutting water usage and carbon emissions. This is proof that sustainability and profitability can coexist. As we move forward, we’re dedicated to forging strong partnerships that cultivate a resilient agricultural ecosystem, one that nurtures both communities and the planet.”
Published on May 2, 2025