New Delhi, July 20, 2026: PepsiCo India, in collaboration with the^delta prize, has launched the rapid re.gen challenge, a nationwide initiative aimed at accelerating the adoption of regenerative agriculture among smallholder farmers. Backed by a prize fund of ₹6.5 crore, the programme will support organisations developing practical and scalable solutions to improve soil health, strengthen climate resilience and enhance farmers' livelihoods.
The challenge seeks applications from non-profits, civil society organisations and other partners working with farming communities. Selected organisations will work with smallholder farmers practising conventional agriculture to develop and scale regenerative farming models that improve soil fertility while sustaining or increasing farm incomes.
According to the organisers, the initiative aims to reach 5,000 to 10,000 smallholder farmers across India. Areas of focus include farmer advisory services, natural resource management, agroforestry, efficient input use, market access and other approaches that promote sustainable agricultural growth.
The challenge forms part of PepsiCo India's broader regenerative agriculture programme, which focuses on soil health, scientific farming practices, farmer capability building and sustainable agriculture to improve long-term agricultural resilience.
Yashika Singh, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer and Sustainability Head, PepsiCo India and South Asia, said, “Healthy soil is the foundation of a healthy food system. As an agri-company at heart, we believe that caring for soil is not just an environmental priority but a way of supporting and enriching the lives of the farming communities we work with. At PepsiCo India, regenerative agriculture guides our approach to restoring soil fertility, strengthening water systems, and building long-term resilience in the fields that sustain us. For us, nurturing soil is ultimately about nurturing livelihoods. When the soil is healthy, entire farm ecosystems become stronger, and that is the direction in which we continue to move with our farming partners. Through the rapid re.gen challenge, we look forward to supporting organisations that are helping farmers adopt practical and scalable approaches to improve soil health while strengthening livelihoods.”
Kanishka Chatterjee, Managing Director, the^delta prize, said, “For many smallholder farmers, the transition to regenerative agriculture remains difficult despite its long-term benefits. Farmers often face rising input costs, declining soil health, and increasing climate uncertainty, making it harder to take risks and experiment with new approaches. Through the rapid re.gen challenge, we hope to identify and support practical pathways that make this transition more viable for farmers while improving incomes and strengthening resilience.”
The initiative will also provide participating organisations with access to advisors, mentors, researchers and institutions to help strengthen evidence, accelerate learning and support the scaling of successful regenerative agriculture models.
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