The future of climate action
depends on the hero you don't
know you need
Every choice you make at the table shapes the future of our planet.
#AFarmerCan
and so can you.
It’s time for the world to hear their stories.
At UPL, we are committed to strengthening the role of sustainable agriculture in positively driving climate action. We empower farmers in over 140 countries through greater collaboration, knowledge-sharing, better products, and stronger support.
Meet the
climate heroes
Work with the climate heroes
Take ActionGood policies
deliver great results
GHG Mitigation
Farmers can turn their fields into massive carbon sinks by drawing CO2 from the atmosphere into the soil using techniques like no-till farming and agroforestry and reduce methane emissions in rice cultivation with practices like alternate wetting and drying.
Meet Pierre De Kock
Corn Farmer, South Africa
#AFarmerCan
help protect the planet.
Pierre has adopted regenerative practices that turn his fields into living carbon stores. Less tillage, protective cover crops, and bio-solutions, all work together to draw carbon from the atmosphere and lock it in the ground, and in turn making the soil richer, crops stronger, and yields more resilient.
He and other carbon farming pioneers generated 26,102 verified carbon credits on around 3,000 hectares of corn fields.
Meet Kelly Garrett
Corn Farmer, United States of America
#AFarmerCan
help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10%.
On his 2,800+ hectares in Iowa, USA, Kelly is transforming the way crops and livestock share the land. He has replaced intensive tillage with soil-first practices, cut back on synthetic fertilizers, used products like Interline and Ultra Blazer, and focused on nurturing the living ecosystem in the soil.
Beyond healthier crops from carbon-rich soil, Kelly became the first US farmer to sell carbon credits, turning climate-positive practices into a new income stream.
Meet Bulliraju Maddipati
Rice Farmer, India
#AFarmerCan
help reduce rice methane emissions by up to 70%.
In the village of Ramannagudem in Andhra Pradesh, India, Bulliraju is showing how small changes on 4.05 hectares paddy field can make a big difference for the planet. He adopted Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), a practice that allows his rice fields to dry between irrigations.
The results? Water use is down by almost 30%, methane emission is sharply reduced, and the soil is healthier and more productive. What began as family occupation is now a living model of climate smart agriculture for other farmers.
Meet Callie Meintjes
Corn Farmer, South Africa
#AFarmerCan
help sequester 5 billion tonnes of carbon every year.
In South Africa’s corn heartland, where unpredictable weather and shifting markets test resilience every season, Callie is proving that farming can go beyond feeding the world – it can help heal it too. He is among the first to join CarbonSmart, a groundbreaking initiative helping farmers capture carbon by reducing tillage, planting cover crops, and using proven bio-solutions.
Callie and other carbon farming pioneers have earned over 25,000 verified carbon credits, and moved their farms a step closer to net zero.
Meet Carlos Pellicer
Coffee Farmer, Brazil
#AFarmerCan
help sink 4 kilos of carbon into the soil for every kilo of coffee grown.
Carlos inherited 20 hectares from his grandfather in Monte Santo de Minas, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Despite challenges like extreme temperatures and frost, he expanded it to 2,300 hectares to grow coffee – a crop for which his family has a deep passion.
Using sustainable practices, like promoting pollinators, composting, organomineral fertilisers and biosolutions, and planting brachiaria grass to provide cover for the soil, he has transformed his farm into a massive and very effective natural carbon sink.
Meet Valter Potter
Grapes Farmer, Brazil
#AFarmerCan
help produce a wine that captures more carbon than it emits.
Valter has dedicated over 50 years to farming. As owner of Estancia Guatambu – a renowned agro-industrial complex, and President of the Association of Fine Wine Producers of Gaucha Mountain Range in Brazil, he is one of the region’s most prominent advocates of sustainable farming.
Over 20% of his land is a reserve. His operations are free from agrochemicals, and Guatambu Winery is the first in Latin America to run 100% on solar energy. His carbon-negative wine is marketed under 26 labels, and has inspired farms throughout the region to invest in renewable energy.
Energy Security
Biofuels like bioethanol and biodiesel derived from farm crops, like sugarcane and corn, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dependence on fossil fuel import. Best of all, farmers can regrow biofuel sources in months.
Meet Sahdev Shitole
Sugarcane Farmer, India
#AFarmerCan
help fast-track renewable sources of energy with climate-smart crops.
Sahdev braved the fear of yield loss that weighs heavily on smallholder sugarcane farmers like him, and switched from conventional practices and traditional inputs to new farming techniques, including a bio-solution like ProNutiva.
His foresight proves him right. His average yield per acre increased from 74 tonnes to 88 tonnes.
Meet Ganesh Kudale
Sugarcane Farmer, India
#AFarmerCan
help fuel an energy-secure future with biofuel.
By moving from traditional ways of agriculture to a more sustainable approach, Ganesh reduced his irrigation water usage by almost 50%, decreased his urea application by 25%, lowered his GHG emissions footprint, and minimised nutrient loss from his field.
Meet Bruno Franciosi
Canola Farmer, Brazil
#AFarmerCan
help increase food security and energy security from the same field.
In the heart of the Brazilian Cerrado, Bruno is reimagining the long-term productivity of his land. He has made it his mission to diversify and bring new crops to one of the country’s most dynamic farming frontiers.
Among his boldest ventures is the introduction of canola, a temperate crop that is now adapted to the Cerrado’s unique winter conditions. Canola is not only a source of high-value edible oil – but can also be converted into biofuel. Additionally, crop rotation helps reduce carbon emission, improve soil structure and break pest and disease cycles, creating a healthier foundation for the next harvest.
Water Security
Over 70% of the world’s freshwater is used in farming. Using methods like drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and soil-enhancing practices, farmers can reduce inefficient water use by up to 60%.
Meet Satyavathi Kakarla
Rice Farmer, India
#AFarmerCan
help leave to the next generation the water that is owed to them.
Satyavathi overcame centuries of convention and the skepticism of peers when she shifted from flooding the fields to water-efficient rice-growing techniques and improved soil management. She cut back on inputs, reduced expenses, and conserved water, while maintaining strong productivity.
Her bold climate-smart transformation on a 7.5-hectare farm in Nallajerla village, West Godavari district in India is now an inspiration to other farmers in her community, and beyond.
Meet Diego Villamil
Tomato Farmer, Colombia
#AFarmerCan
help farms save up to 800 trillion litres of water each year.
Diego is a prominent farmer in Boyaca, Colombia, where unpredictable rainfall can leave fields dry one week and waterlogged the next. He turned to Zeba, a 100% natural product that helps the soil capture water and nutrients, and releases it slowly, keeping the field productive even in dry spells.
Efficient water use has both economic and environmental benefits – improving crop profitability and protecting local resources.
Meet Jaruwan Thammamuthit
Longan Farmer, Thailand
#AFarmerCan
help make every drop of water count for the future of farming
At 30 years, Jaruwan is already reshaping the future of fruit farming on her family’s 8-hectare longan orchard in the hills of Chanthaburi Province, Thailand. She uses Pollinus, a natural pheromone-based product to attract pollinators, and invests in a range of water conservation measures.
Her blend of tradition with technology in the face of climate variability is a model for other young Thai farmers.
Meet Ambroise N'Koh
Cocoa Farmer, West Africa
#AFarmerCan
help reverse soil degradation.
Beyond managing his own farm, Ambroise has mobilized 1,500 smallholder cocoa farmers across 24 villages covering an area of nearly 2,000 hectares. Together, they established 24 Farmer Field Schools to promote good agricultural practices, with demonstration plots for newer techniques.
Their collective efforts have increased their average yield from 400 kg/ha to about 1,000 kg/ha – a true leap in productivity through sustainable farming.
Meet Nicol Padilla
Apple Farmer, Chile
#AFarmerCan
help protect the soil that supplies 95% of our food.
The fertile valleys in Chile’s Maule Region produce some of the country’s finest fruit and wine. It is here that Nicol and other farmers like her are leading a quiet transformation. They are redefining how 2,200 hectares of vineyards, cherry orchards, apple groves and kiwifruit blocks can thrive while protecting the ecosystems that sustain them.
After decades of farming, they are shifting focus to working with nature. The new approach, with extensive use of bio-solutions, has led to healthier soils that support greater biodiversity and store more carbon.
Meet Till Bathge
Corn Farmer, Germany
#AFarmerCan
help soil health for the next generation with sustainable corn cultivation.
On the dry sandy soils in the Harz Mountains’ rain shadow, near Magdeburg, young farmer Till is proving that even challenging water-stressed farmland can be made productive. He used ProNutiva, a bio-solution, on a test plot – and the results are very encouraging.
Crops on the treated plot stood taller, stayed greener and resisted lodging. They also had stronger, deeper roots with better access to groundwater and nutrients.
Meet Rodrigo Loureiro
Soybean Farmer, Brazil
#AFarmerCan
help make every harvest a step toward healthier soil.
Rodrigo inherited his farm and a deep respect for the soil that sustains it from his father. He practices regenerative agriculture by growing diverse crops, like sorghum, millet, crotalaria, castor bean, and soybean.
Besides crop rotation, he relies on Biozyme, a natural bio-stimulant to enhance root development, nutrient absorption and plant vitality, in order to reinforce his goal of sustainable productivity.
Meet Angela van Lieshout
Grain Farmer, Brazil
#AFarmerCan
help protect biodiversity and revitalise the soil.
Neither her qualification as a mechanical engineer nor her family’s background in business proved to be an obstacle when Angela decided to embark on her journey in agriculture with her husband, Eduardo. Together, they transformed Fazenda Gaulanda, their farm in the state of Goias, Brazil, into a model of success and sustainability.
Progressive initiatives like investing in solar power, and practices like crop rotation and diversification, as well as earmarking areas for soil restoration have enabled the family to pass on a thriving farm producing wheat, corn, and soybean to their next generation.
Meet Muserref Urundu
Grapes Farmer, Turkey
#AFarmerCan
help revive more than 24 billion tonnes of soil every year.
All across her 2-hectare vineyard growing table grapes and raisins grapes, Muserref uses ProNutiva – a nature-derived bio-solution, and believes that her approach has the potential to revive over 24 billion tonnes of soil every year.
In fact, she was featured on all local and national TV channels in Turkiye in a programme highlighting that only one chemical was detected below minimum residue limits (MRL) for ProNutiva users, while other farmers had up to 16 chemicals detected below MRL.
Meet Carlos Silva
Apple Farmer, Chile
#AFarmerCan
help protect the soil that feeds the world.
The farm that Carlos manages exports wine grapes, cherries, apples and kiwifruit to more than 40 countries – and owns the Casas Patronales Winery.
Under his and his team’s guidance, the focus on the farm has shifted to working with nature rather than against it. They have championed the use of bio-solutions for everything from controlling pests to revitalising plants and managing soil health.
Meet Gilmar Osbel
Soybean Farmer, Brazil
#AFarmerCan
help protect nature and revive the planet’s natural balance.
Gilmar manages the family soybean farm in the northern reaches of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The Osbel farming legacy is defined by deep respect for the land and commitment to protect the delicate balance between crops and nature.
The family actively fosters pollinators like the honeybee, practises crop diversification and regenerative rotation, and seek to enrich the microbiology of their fields – all of which reflect a simple belief that healthy ecosystems and profitable farming grow best together.
“I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.”
Maya Angelou
