With the commitment of
With the support of
Context
The Champagne-Ardenne region is characterized by large, mechanized farms focused on cereal production – predominantly wheat and barley – along with crops like alfalfa, sugar beets and rapeseed. The region’s fertile soils have contributed to the development and flourishing of a rich agricultural economy in this landscape. More frequent climatic changes, however, are threatening local production. Excessive rainfall has led to waterlogged soils, delayed fieldwork and reduced yields. In 2023 France recorded its worst wheat crop in decades, with the French government estimating that harvests fell by 25%.
France recorded its worst wheat crop in decades
fall in harvests (as per estimation)
Key facts
Ambition of the project
Designed through a collaboration between French grain cooperative VIVESCIA and the Earthworm Foundation, TRANSITIONS aims to lead an agroecological transition, at scale, by aggregating demand for regeneratively grown crops and connecting producers to downstream purchasing companies. The program de-risks farmers from a financial standpoint. At the same time, it provides them with the necessary technical assistance to measure and enhance their farm’s environmental performance, based on three priority factors: carbon, soil and biodiversity.
Through the program, demand partners have made multi-year volume commitments to provide growers with the stability they require during the challenging years of the transition. The TRANSITIONS ambition is to onboard 1,000 farmers by 2029.
By combining long-term economic incentives, value chain collaboration, robust monitoring of results and broad-based partnerships, the TRANSITIONS program provides a scalable and replicable model to transform agriculture in a way that balances productivity, resilience and environmental stewardship. The program is replicable and can be expanded to cover different crops, depending on the needs of the demand partners.
The program at a glance
VIVESCIA operates the program; a steering committee comprising VIVESCIA, technical and scientific partners, and farmer representatives oversees its strategic direction.
Upon joining TRANSITIONS, farmers receive technical support through a dedicated three-year training program – led by VIVESCIA’s agronomists. The support combines individual and group training sessions with meetings in the field, workshops and informal discussions. The aim is to help them understand the challenges they face and improve key performance indicators. During the first year, farmers draft a customized action plan with their dedicated technical advisor to boost their farm’s performance across key areas and improve its agronomic indicators. The Earthworm Foundation developed the agronomic framework underpinning the action plan and the training materials for farmers.
This action plan, which aims to improve carbon, soil health and biodiversity, has three key pillars:
- Identification of the farm’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and constraints;
- Identification of realistic measures;
- Simulation of measures and evaluation of results.
A mutual three-year commitment between producers and downstream processing businesses allows each farmer to receive the financial support necessary for their regenerative transition. The holistic approach appeals to farmers as they have the potential to be paid for 100% of their rotation crops, thanks to the aggregated demand from several demand partners.
“For me, TRANSITIONS is a school that will help me implement the practices I believe in and adhere to more quickly and easily.”
– Bruno Beyris, farmer
Financing model
TRANSITIONS has created a co-funding model where several downstream partners work with farmers to share the costs of the regenerative transition. Demand partners largely fund the program – covering over 90% of the costs and paying into the program in proportion to their sourcing volumes. Offtakers commit with volumes for three years, thus providing the long-term security farmers need. On top of this, the program leverages public subsidies available through France2030, a government program mobilizing EUR €54 billion in investments to bring about lasting change in key sectors of France’s economy through research, innovation and industrial investment. Since its inception, through the capital allocated by demand partners and the government, TRANSITION has mobilized EUR €9 million – including EUR €2.2 million paid to farmers through premiums from the 2024 harvest.
From the very first year, farmers received between EUR €100 and EUR €150 per hectare in premiums, depending on their environmental performance and the crops concerned. The premium per metric ton of grain exceeds the additional costs of the agronomic measures taken.
Further, farmers engaged in the TRANSITIONS program can access insurance at a subsidized rate provided by AXA Climate – allocating part of the premium received to insuring their crops.
of the costs are covered by demand partners
has been mobilized by the program since its inception
was paid to farmers from the 2024 harvest
Monitoring, reporting and verification
A monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system tracks progress against the key program objectives. Thanks to a partnership with UniLaSalle – a specialized agronomic engineering school – the system evolves over time to ensure the continuous improvement and adaptation of practices. Farmers collect data on key performance indicators through the digital traceability platform Vi@parcelle.
Credits: TRANSITIONS
Table 2: Objectives and progress monitored per impact area
