‘Sustainable and regenerative agriculture is the only way forward’

Alina: ‘I prepare our growers for the sustainability assessment, the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) of the international SAI-Platform (Sustainable Agriculture Initiative) by informing, training and assisting them in practice.’ The results are determined by means of external audits. 88% of the cooperating growers already holds the gold certificate. That makes me proud,’ says Alina.

‘We are transitioning to sustainable agriculture. Measuring allows us to act in a more focused manner.’

Transition to sustainable agriculture

The soil is incredibly important. Alina: ‘We are transitioning to sustainable agriculture. Measuring allows us to act in a more focused manner. Together with our agriculturalists who carry out soil analyses, we assess how much fertiliser the soil needs. The less fertiliser we use, the more sustainable we will become. And it is cost efficient as well. We consider irrigation, or watering, in the same way. The potato growers measure how much moisture the soil needs and adjust watering accordingly. And they save water in doing so.’

For the next generation

Alina has personal contact with the Polish growers. ‘I visit them, and we drink tea and walk along the fields. Together with our agriculturalists, I help them make sustainable choices. Regenerative agriculture is the next step for our growers. They focus on restoring nature’s resources, the improvement of soil fertility and the circumstances of the water sources, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and increasing biodiversity,’ says Alina. ‘Each year we organise meetings for large groups of growers to meet up and look at fields in various regions of Poland. The perfect moment to exchange success stories and discuss the challenges of potato cultivation. This brings joy to everyone: to growers, to me and to the next generation. This is how we pass a healthy earth on to the next generation, to our children.’