GIZ, PepsiCo and Bayer Launch Maize Farming Partnership Targeting 35,000 Indian Farmers

GIZ, PepsiCo India and Bayer’s Crop Science Division announced HARVEST on November 4, 2026, a three-year public-private initiative targeting 35,000 farmers in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Operating under Germany’s BMZ-backed develoPPP programme, it aims to strengthen climate resilience in maize-based farming through training, research and field demonstrations.

Planned activities include soil and water assessments, demonstration farms and farmer-to-farmer learning, with technical support from the Indian Institute of Maize Research and other institutions. The partners intend to test locally adapted regenerative practices, including crop rotation, while exploring market connections. The initiative extends PepsiCo and Bayer’s Indian potato-sector collaboration into maize; its stated benefits remain programme objectives rather than demonstrated outcomes.

Maize supplies food, animal feed and industrial raw materials while supporting smallholder livelihoods in India. The source identifies erratic rainfall, drought, rising temperatures and pressure on natural resources as production challenges. HARVEST seeks to address these through better soil management and resource use, but the report provides no measured results from the initiative.