On the surface, these avocados may look identical. Yet, their journey, water use, nutrient retention, and labour context tell very different stories.

Distance matters when volumes grow

Over 90% of the avocados consumed in Europe are imported—mostly from Peru, Chile, Colombia, Israel, Kenya, and South Africa. These supply chains involve long-distance maritime shipping, inland road transport, cold storage, and handling infrastructure.

A shipment from Málaga to Berlin emits around 0.21 kg CO₂ per kg, while avocados from Chile generate approximately 0.42 kg CO₂ per kg—twice the emissions.

Individually, these emissions seem small. But when scaled to current consumption levels, they matter. Europe is expected to consume up to 1.5 million tonnes of avocados annually. In 2024, Germany alone consumed 165,530 tonnes, followed by France (157,977 t), the UK (122,993 t), and Spain (96,617 t)​. CrowdFarming is already supplying part of this demand from neighbouring countries such as Spain, Italy and France, adding up to over 800 tonnes of avocado delivered within the same continent.

While sea freight can seem efficient when calculated per kg, it remains a big contributor to emissions when applied to large volumes of refrigerated fruit. The issue is not shipping per se, but the scale and regularity of long-distance supply chains for products that can be grown closer to home.

Nutrient density and flavour: shaped by time and handling

The time between harvest and consumption influences not only freshness, but nutrient content and flavour. Imported avocados often travel for several weeks and undergo artificial ripening in distribution centres. In contrast, avocados harvested to order—like CrowdFarming’s—leave the tree and reach European homes in 5.3 days on average in 2024. 

This difference matters. According to one study, Spanish avocados can contain up to 51.1% oleic acid, compared to 43.5% in imported Chilean avocados. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat linked to cardiovascular health. Other research indicates that phenolic compounds—important for antioxidant capacity and flavour—may also degrade during extended storage and long shipping times. 

It is essential to take into account that these differences depend on variety, ripeness at harvest, soil conditions, and storage methods. But overall, shorter journeys and faster delivery reduce nutrient loss and improve flavour retention.

Nature and nurture, both matter

Some regions, particularly tropical zones, offer ideal natural conditions for growing avocados—stable rainfall, fertile soils, and minimal irrigation needs. Others depend on human-management to create the right conditions for avocados to grow. What determines the farming impact is not just having the right context, but the combination of ideal climate, farming method and regulation.

Labour conditions also vary widely—both within and outside the EU. Transparency, traceability and enforceable standards are what make a difference, not geography alone. What we know is European producers operate under concrete regulatory frameworks for pesticide use, labour rights, and water management, often more strict than what other regions demand. This, however, doesn’t mean all practices in the EU are exemplary, nor that all practices outside it are problematic.

Still, supply chains from some regions have raised red flags. In Morocco’s Souss valley, large-scale avocado farms have been linked to labour violations, including wages as low as $203/month, lack of protective equipment for pesticide application, and union suppression.

Water and climate: not all avocados are equally thirsty

Avocados are regularly criticised for their water use. But this depends heavily on local climate and management systems. In many tropical countries, trees grow with minimal or no irrigation. In drier zones like southern Spain or Morocco, water must be carefully managed.

At CrowdFarming, all tropical fruit producers use drip irrigation to minimise water loss. Many go further by using regenerated water (treated wastewater), and applying regenerative practices that improve soil structure, increasing water retention capacity.

Examples include farms such as Laderas de Granada and Loma del Gato, which have proven to have improved the water indicator (measured as part of the regenerative index that tracks quality of irrigation water, management of water on the farm, and the capacity of the soil to store rainwater, among other data) within their regeneration index by up to 30%. 

Still, they are not the only ones. A growing share of our organic avocado producers are transitioning to regenerative agriculture—improving the soil’s capacity to absorb water and reduce evaporation. 

It’s simply not that simple: A Final Note

With the limited information available in supermarkets, it’s hard to tell where an avocado was grown—or how. Most look the same on the shelf. But the conditions behind them vary: some are harvested early to survive long-distance transport; others are picked at the right moment and delivered in days. Some are irrigated with freshwater under conditions of stressed water resources. Others rely on rainfall or reuse treated water.

Some come from systems where wages are documented and working conditions audited. Others do not.

None of this is visible at first glance. But it becomes visible through transparency, traceability, and a closer connection to the people growing our food.

Avocados can be grown responsibly in many places. The key is not distance alone, but everything that comes with it.

Sources & Further Reading

• Comparative Analysis of Avocado Oils (PMC, 2022)
  Peer-reviewed study comparing the fatty acid profiles of avocados from different origins, including Spain and Chile. Used to support nutritional comparisons (e.g. oleic acid content).
  
• Moroccan Workers Organising Against Exploitation (War on Want, 2023)
  Field report highlighting labour violations—including low wages and union suppression—on large-scale avocado farms in Morocco’s Souss region.
  
• Water Concerns in Morocco’s Avocado Boom (Wala Press, 2024)
  Investigative piece exploring the environmental impact of avocado expansion in Morocco, with focus on water use and drought pressure.
  
• Avocados and Human Rights Risk (Maplecroft, 2023)
  Analytical report examining conflict, deforestation and labour risks across avocado-producing regions, with insights into global sourcing vulnerabilities.

In the farmer survey we ask them a series of questions based on specific topics, namely sales channels, economic stability, agricultural sector challenges, climate conditions, farm costs, farm innovation and improvements, and the transition to organic and regenerative agriculture. 

The survey is quite extensive and detailed, so we send them a letter with a summary of the key results. Then we thought, why not also share this letter with you?

Hello, farmers!

We’d like to start by thanking the 146 of you who took part in this year’s survey.

You represent more than 50% of the CrowdFarming farmer community and, thanks to you, we’re learning and making improvements together. The results of the survey show us that your comments aren’t falling on deaf ears. In fact, results are already being seen!

The NPS (Net Promoter Score) has gone up from 37 (last year) to 44 (this year). This indicator reflects the degree to which you’d recommend the platform to other farmers, and the increase shows that more and more of you are satisfied with the experience. This is a shared achievement: you’re an essential part of the definition of CrowdFarming that we all want, and your feedback helps us improve year after year. 

The farmers most satisfied with CrowdFarming are Spanish (51), then Italian (46), closely followed by French (45), and finally German-speaking ones (36). 75% of you say that CrowdFarming has met your expectations, and 11% that it even exceeds them.

“Proud to belong to the CrowdFarming family, part of a movement that is making things happen. Committed to what really matters: leaving a good and healthy foundation for future generations. Living soils, a healthy environment, sustainability, and fair pay”.

“I love it, but I can’t be objective because I’m a fan. I see it as a movement rather than a sales channel. Ever since I was a child, I’ve been aware of organic farming and known that it’s the only option for me, but I discovered regenerative farming thanks to you, and I’ll be eternally grateful for that”. 

1. Price stability, less uncertainty, and higher income

60% of you see prices on CrowdFarming more stable than via other channels (up from 40% in 2023), and less than 3% see them as more unstable. Considering that for 45% of you price volatility is one of the issues that most concerns you, we’re happy to see that the stability provided by CrowdFarming is on the up.

“The stable price and the almost guaranteed sale of a significant percentage of my production gives me so much peace of mind”.

However, we shouldn’t forget that more than 85% of you reported that your expenses are also increasing, mainly those derived from energy and fuel, consumables, and labour.  

We’re happy to see that 62.2% of you have seen an increase in income, and more than 70% have invested in improvements since working with us, whether in new machinery, better facilities, or new recruits. We’re confident that the growth in your income isn’t just impacting your business, but also your community, through job offers, competitive salaries, and the development of economic, social, and cultural activity in your area.

2. Maintaining your characteristic quality

We know how much effort you channel into producing quality food and how important it is for the end consumer to value your work. We understand that being answerable for your product is an extra effort, but we believe that making your role as a producer visible is key to building a fairer food chain, where your work takes the place it deserves.

Much of what we do at CrowdFarming is geared towards making it easier for you to sell directly to the end consumer. More than half of you believe that our service-price ratio is the best, and only 8.4% prefer other channels. Even so, we know we have room for improvement and we continue to strive to be your favourite channel in 100% of cases.

Some of the points you asked us to improve include logistics (20%), visibility of your products (20%), and financial processes (13.5%). Throughout 2024, we developed technological improvements to streamline these processes, reduce time, and offer you tools that make direct selling more efficient. Besides these in-house improvements, you’ll soon get to enjoy new updates to the Farmer Zone, including better dashboards, filters for orders, and access to payout information.

As a result, we’ll continue to improve things so that selling directly to the consumer is increasingly easier and more profitable for you.

“Improvement of the farmer’s sales dashboard and more clarity in payment concepts”.

“I’d like CrowdFarming to offer me more support in the marketing of my products”.

“I think that feedback from the end customer could be improved; we don’t know what they think about our products”.

What’s more, 100% of you told us that you want us to meet more often!

“I think having one or two annual meetings of farmers and Farmer Hunters, and with the other departments, could be very positive. The meeting last June in Valencia was really interesting for me. Let’s hope that there can be more meetings, either with that format or others”.

3. Resilience to adverse weather conditions

Climate change continues to be a major concern, with 73.4% of you noticing how droughts and heatwaves are challenging your work on the farm every day and impacting your production, with 70% of you having seen your harvest reduced due to these factors.

We believe that organic and regenerative agriculture is the main way to withstand these climate extremes, which is why we’re always looking for producers converting to organic to join CrowdFarming and receive support for the transition.

What’s more, there are more and more of you in the Regenerative Agriculture Programme, measuring the impact of your practices on soil health, biodiversity and water, taking action to improve these aspects, and making your farms more resilient. These results will give us real evidence of your positive impact that we can share with the entire CrowdFarmer community and continue to enjoy its support in this transition. More than 60 of you have already signed up! 

“Together we want to change and improve the world, shifting all agriculture from conventional to organic and/or regenerative”.

“We wholeheartedly believe in this project: organic and regenerative agriculture, a project for the future”.

“CrowdFarming has given me the impetus I needed to start applying regenerative practices on my farm”.

“I’m convinced that regenerative agriculture is the future”.

Many of you — whether you’re part of the programme — already implement regenerative practices, with more than half of you applying plant remains to the soil, reducing tillage, or maintaining plant cover. More than 40% of you make your own compost, almost 20% of you are integrating livestock on your farms, and some of you are installing insect hotels (28%) or applying other biodiversity measures such as biological corridors, planting native trees, creating biodiversity ponds, or installing bird feeders. 

Among the main difficulties you come across in the transition to organic and regenerative agriculture are a lack of knowledge and a shortage of financial aid. We’ve launched the “1% for the Soil” initiative to allocate 1% of the sales of farmers in the Regenerative Agriculture Programme (part of our margin and which won’t affect your prices) to support the training, monitoring, and awareness-raising of regenerative agriculture, so we hope we can help you on these fronts. We’ve even made a film about organic-regenerative agriculture with some of you!

Your voice is key to building a platform that adapts to your needs and challenges, which is why we truly listen to it when deciding our priorities for the coming year.

Thank you for your commitment and hard work when it comes to building the world’s fairest and most sustainable agri-food chain.

Warm regards,

The CrowdFarming Team 

In these seven years, full of lessons learnt, we’ve become the main sales channel for organic farmers in Europe. We started out with a simple website where farmers could create a profile and sell their crops by having their trees adopted or by selling individual boxes.

Over time, we’ve expanded our services and now, aside from the website, we help our farmers with logistics and also with implementing organic and regenerative farming practices in their fields. The direct sales channel is a lever for more and more farmers to be encouraged to grow organically, ensuring a sale price to absorb the costs of cultivation.

Reflecting on the successes and learnings of 2024, I can see that direct selling isn’t just about avoiding intermediaries, but also about having the chance to generate consumer awareness. When a consumer buys something at a supermarket, they only see good things dressed up by a style of marketing that is truly disconnected from the agricultural reality. When a consumer buys directly from the farmer, they can better understand what they’re paying for and that the fruit doesn’t have to look perfect to taste good.

Here’s a summary of the main successes, failures, and learnings of 2024:

• (Positive) 47 new farmers signed up and more than 95% of those already with us renewed their membership. In total, there are already more than 330 farmers selling their crops without intermediaries, with more than 32% being young farmers.
• (Positive) We’ve received the results of the first twelve farmers who signed up to our regenerative agriculture programme and, on average, they have improved the metrics that indicate the health of their ecosystems (soil, water, and biodiversity) by 25%.
• (Negative) In the summer, an early-stage fungus invisible to the human eye caused 4.5% of the orders delivered in those months to experience some kind of incident, with stone fruit being the most affected. We returned more than €160,000 to affected customers, but what hurt us most was losing the trust of those consumers who had placed an order for the first time and haven’t ordered again.
• (Positive) Thanks to donations from CrowdGiving, we sent 17,844 kg of food to the people impacted by the terrible floods in Valencia.
• (Positive) We’re the leading European farmer community in terms of direct sales. We’ve boosted sales by 35% this year, we have 475,000 active users, and we’ve broken the barrier of two million orders delivered.
• (Negative) Our main suppliers (transport and advertising companies) have again hiked up prices, making it difficult for us to achieve a profit this year. We’ve lost €3m this year because we want to keep on offering competitive prices.
• (Positive) Despite this, we’re on our way to reaching a critical mass of orders that will help us generate economies of scale and become a financially sustainable business. Although we had losses during the year, November and December were months with positive results.
• (Positive) The subscription to our mixed box of seasonal organic fruit with products from several farmers already has more than 35,000 subscribers, making it the best-selling box for European organic farmers.
  
  

Happy harvesting for 2025!

Gonzalo Úrculo, Farmer & Co-Founder of CrowdFarming

“With patience, everything comes in due season.”

Edouard Rene de Laboulaye

Europe, with its diverse climate, enables the production of a wide variety of fruits that are naturally available over extended seasons. This abundance reduces the need to import produce from other continents or rely on artificial methods of production, ripening, or refrigeration, thereby limiting the carbon footprint of our food and minimising waste associated with preservation.

By prioritising the consumption of regional fruits and vegetables, you support the work of farmers while encouraging an agricultural system deeply connected to its land, practices, and local varieties.

Thus, when you purchase organic and regenerative foods directly from a farmer, you contribute to preserving and enriching soil health.

With this calendar, you can plan your daily life while respecting the seasonality of fruits and vegetables.

Wishing you a wonderful 2025!

After the floods in Valencia, we informed you that the workers and farmers of CrowdFarming were well, although some had suffered material damage. As time has passed, we have learned about the most profound consequences that the rains and floods have had on the countryside and its socio-economic fabric. We have also witnessed the most supportive side of farmers.

Cultivating Solidarity

Ivan, from the NGO CERAI and its Horta Cuina initiative, has been coordinating small local farmers for some time – mostly organic – to provide organic fruit and vegetables to Valencian schools. This group of farmers supplies vegetables for the monthly CrowdFarming subscription.

Thanks to the good coordination they already had in place, this group of farmers was able to quickly get down to work. Farmers who suddenly saw their demand reduced – the economy is paused in these situations – took their products to communities that needed it – the shops in the area had been destroyed. The operation was financed with donations received by several organizations for the “Cultivate Solidarity” initiative, thanks to which farmers received payment for their produce, while the affected communities received the product at no cost. The NGOs that participate in the initiative are clear about it, when the businesses start operating again, they will take a step back. Solidarity cannot – should not – compete against local commerce.

We went to visit one of the member farmers of Horta Cuina: Bruno. Bruno has lost 40% of his production; his potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages and lettuce were submerged underwater and ended up rotting. Seeing his impeccable-looking aubergines, he tells us that the plant has actually absorbed so much water that, if they were harvested, brown spots would begin to appear caused by the excess water and the aubergines would end up rotting before reaching the consumer. Beyond the losses recorded by Bruno (€50,000), it is the long-term consequences that most concern this group of organic producers. Where did this water and sludge come from? What did they carry? Could they have contaminated their soils? Could they, then, lose organic certification? At the moment, they are carrying out soil analyses to have a first reading of the situation.

Up to a quarter of this group of producers has been affected in a similar way to Bruno. While acknowledging the devastation that the water has caused in their fields, he appreciated the role they have played in alleviating an even greater misfortune in residential areas. “The crops have slowed down the water, if it had been all asphalt accelerating the speed of the water, I don’t want to think how this would have ended.”

Saving the soil

The role of agricultural advisors is fundamental when it comes to a transition to another way of doing agriculture. Someone who earns the trust and respect of the farmer has the key in their hand to make a big impact. This is the case of Juan, an agricultural advisor to organic and conventional farmers, and a great believer in regenerative agriculture, which is why we met. Juan met us in Valencia to show us some of the fields most affected by the storms and floods.

We spent hours with Juan and one of the farmers he advises, Enrique, seeing farms covered by reeds, mud, and all kinds of debris and garbage dragged by the flood. Enrique practices conventional agriculture, but there is no doubt that, after witnessing the impact that water can have, he will plant vegetation cover on his farm. Enrique told us that “the water, as it finds a crack through which to sneak, destroys you” and he explained to us excitedly how by having the ground covered, he will be able to stop the water and prevent it from taking all his soil ahead.

In the regenerative agriculture group where we met Juan, many farmers send comparisons of their farms, in which they implement regenerative practices, and those of their neighbors. It is impressive to see how the regenerative farms have been able to absorb and filter water, conserving their soil, while across the border you can see floods of water and mud, dragging the soil that is so hard to create. Regenerative practices such as vegetation coverings or a design that allows water to be stored and conducted are some of the techniques for dealing with torrential rains and their antonym – droughts. “I’ve also noticed that, despite three years of drought, we’ve spent less on irrigation and inputs, yielding more kilos. It has taken years, but a life and more generations await us,” said Gonzalo, producer of the organic oil”Olioli” in Requena, Valencia.

La Junquera, one of our farmers, also reported through their social networks that, despite the fact that so much water didn’t fall in their area, they coped well with the storm thanks to the regenerative techniques they already implemented years ago. They also said that improvements they plan to carry out to deal even better with future downpours: “We need to make our water management structures larger and more resilient to face extreme weather events more frequently. Regenerative agriculture, which includes water management structures, cover crops, vegetation strips, hedges and the improvement of soil health, is key to reducing water speed and increasing soil absorption capacity.”

With an increase of just 1% in organic matter in the soil, it can retain up to an additional 75,700 litres of water per hectare. This sponge effect, especially beneficial during heavy rains, significantly decreases the amount of water that runs on the surface, thus reducing run-off, erosion and waterlogging. In addition, by controlling the volume and speed of water flowing into rivers, the risk of flooding in nearby communities is minimized.

However, little can be done when “a tsunami that drags mud, reeds and debris” arrives, as described by some interviewees. Juan and Enrique agree that help is now needed in the so-called “ground zero” of the disaster, where the priority is for people to return to their homes. But they hope that, after cleaning up those areas, they will come and help the farmers. Many still cannot access their farms even to see the state they are in, since “it is necessary to repair roads, clean and remove the mud to prevent the trees and their roots from rotting, as the soil cannot breathe.” Many try to quantify the magnitude of the disaster (AVA-Asaja, the association of Valencian farmers, estimates 1,089 million), but it is still difficult to know the real medium- and long-term consequences for these soils and the crops that grow on them.

The hero of the tractor

Vincent, from Hort de Zéfir, has been selling his mandarins through CrowdFarming since its inception. His neighboring farm, Naranjas del Carmen, is the farm of CrowdFarming’s founders, Gonzalo and Gabriel Úrculo. Vicent, driven by them, set out to make the leap to organic farming. He acknowledges that it hasn’t been an easy road, but he doesn’t regret it. Now his job is much more rewarding, and he keeps discovering every day how to do it better.

We drove with Vicent from his farm in Bétera, Valencia, to the town of Picanya, where the students of the Gavina School welcomed him as a hero and handed him a letter that said “thank you for helping us return to school”. During the weeks that separated the floods from the reopening of the school, Vicent traveled for up to 3 hours with his tractor to clear the mud from this school that his children went to years ago.

Vicent is part of a collective of organic farmers led by Nando Durá. When we got to see Nando, he had just been on TV explaining the situation. Nando has been responsible for coordinating the help of many farmers who put their machinery at the service of the most affected areas. “We cannot stand still when we are most needed, we did it by disinfecting the streets during the confinement of COVID-19, and we do it now with floods.”

If there is something positive that Nando brings out of all this, it is the visibility that the producer is gaining. Nando has his own website where he sells his citrus fruits and rice and, according to him, people are surprised to meet farmers and discover that they can buy their product directly from them through the internet and without intermediaries.

In southern Spain it also rains

Two weeks after the storms and floods that ravaged Valencia, it was time, again, for the southern part of the peninsula. The Axarquia area of Malaga, where many of our subtropical and citrus farmers are located, was especially affected. Before, we talked about the need for vegetation coverings to deal with torrential rains.  Just those days, there was a course organized by CrowdFarming with farmers from the Axarquía on vegetation coverings, which we had to postpone due to the red warnings of storms and floods.

Jessica, from Finca Aguilar, shows us how the lemon trees planted by her grandfather have turned upside down with the force of the water. We can see their roots looking up at the sky. Jessica acknowledges that “fortunately, thanks to the protocol adopted after what happened in Valencia, only material but not personal damage has occurred.” In the Axarquia, something similar happened as in Valencia, “the large amount of rainfall accumulated both in the town itself and in the upper areas of the province, have caused the flow of the river to rise suddenly, flooding and dragging everything in its path,” continues Jessica. 

In the why’s everyone finds their own culprits. Jessica, like other farmers, tells us about the reeds that clogged the waterways. Others talk about dams, government, climate change or urban planning. What everyone is clear about is one thing — they’ve never seen this before: “the water reached more than six meters in height,” Jessica tells us, “something completely incredible, we’ve been growing citrus fruits in these orchards for more than 50 years and my parents, grandparents or great-grandparents have never seen anything like it.” 

It’s more than just a material loss, Jessica explains. “We’ve lost a large part of our farm, which we’ve been working on for more than three generations,” but she doesn’t lose the desire to continue working for her family’s legacy. “With hard work and effort, we’ll bring colour to this great disaster.”

DANA: The older sister of the “Cold Drop”?

Anyone who knows the Spanish Mediterranean coast well has heard of the torrential rains called “cold drop”, typical of the months of September and October. This phenomenon occurs when an isolated polar air mass begins to circulate at very high altitudes and collides with the warmer and more humid air typical of the Mediterranean at the end of the summer, often triggering storms that discharge a large amount of water in a short time. In other words, a cold drop is a DANA, “Isolated Depression in High Levels”, the same that has caused havoc on the Spanish Mediterranean coast during these weeks. What has made it so devastating this time, then?

Experts have long warned that extreme events will become more frequent and intense. The IPCC (a UN scientific body that assesses climate change), announced in its latest report that Europe would face an increase in climate risks, including the risk of floods, which would affect people, economies and infrastructure, and losses in crop production due to combined heat and drought conditions and extreme weather events. A preliminary report by the academic organization World Weather Attribution has established that global warming made the rains that fell on Spain 12% more intense and doubled the chances of them occurring

In the world of agriculture — especially ecological and regenerative agriculture — we are used to hearing about “increasingly frequent extreme weather events” and their possible impact on our food security. It is part of our daily life to talk about droughts, harvests damaged by untimely hail or degraded soils. But on October 29, 2024 and the days that followed, Valencia and much of the Spanish Mediterranean coast were brutally shaken, and its consequences reverberated throughout the world.

The signs were, both that these extreme events would come and what the flood zones were, however, no one had prepared for something like this. Let’s learn from what happened, to change reactivity for resilience: a long-term race more than a sprint. The IPCC also proposes how to cope with these changes, and some closely resemble our vision of what agriculture should be: “Conservation, improved management and restoration of ecosystems, including the protection and restoration of biodiversity, can help strengthen resilience to climate change and provide a wide range of co-benefits, including support for livelihoods, human health and well-being, food and water security, and disaster risk reduction.

The Regeneration Index is a system to benchmark and validate the results of regenerative practices, offering transparency and clear metrics to both farmers and consumers. 

What does the Regeneration Index benchmark, and what can you see on the CrowdFarming website?

The Regeneration Index measures more than fifty key indicators, both in the field and in the laboratory, to benchmark the impact of regenerative practices on each farm. In other words, to measure that the ecosystem of the farm is effectively regenerating.

The index, which you can find on the page of all regenerative farmers, ranges from 0 to 5, where 5 represents the best possible state of a natural ecosystem. What’s more, if the farmer is already regenerative (i.e. they have been in the programme for more than one year), you will also see an improvement index that compares their last measurement with the baseline or the previous year, and which reflects their progress.

The overall index consists of three specific scores for each key area: soil, water, and biodiversity. In addition, we monitor two other areas: socioeconomic conditions and community, to assess how these align with the regeneration of the ecosystem. Below is an explanation of what is benchmarked in each one:

Soil health

As reflected in our 1% for the Soil initiative, soil health is key to regenerative agriculture, and therefore a cornerstone of the index. Good soil health means that the plant is properly nourished, as it is being provided with the nutrients it needs. This is said to be the digestive system of plants.

Good soil health requires fewer (or even no) inputs or additional nutrients such as fertilisers. Healthy soil is key both globally and locally. Globally, its ability to absorb carbon helps mitigate climate change. At a local level, its ability to retain water and nutrients reduces reliance on external resources for irrigation and plant nutrition, which directly benefits crops. 

Water cycles

Water is key to life and, as it should be, is one of the three basic cornerstones of the index. It functions as the fuel that activates the system: it allows the soil, initially just a ‘container’ of materials, to become a living ecosystem. It’s water that sustains microbial, plant, and animal communities, nurturing their development and the beneficial interactions they generate between these beings. Without this resource, the natural processes that allow a soil to regain its health and foster crop health could not occur effectively.

This part of the index benchmarks not just the quality of irrigation water, but also the management of water on the farm, and the capacity of the soil to store rainwater, which is crucial in many of the areas where our farmers work.  

Biodiversity

The cornerstone of this area is poles apart from the philosophy that has guided conventional agriculture over the last few decades. If for years the mindset was focused on monoculture and the eradication of any competition from the main crop, we now value biodiversity as a truly beneficial factor for the crop and the ecosystem of the farm in general.

It’s not just an environmental issue, though. Biodiversity is a key factor for resilience, as each link fulfils its function, preventing one link from growing disproportionately to others. In other words, a diverse system is essential for combatting pests. What’s more, the diversity of plant species favours the presence of animals that benefit the ecosystem, including pollinating insects, which are fundamental for many crops, and fosters other communities that we often overlook, such as microorganisms. The greater the root diversity in a soil, the more beneficial bacteria will be associated with them, creating a more nutritious and healthy system for the crops themselves.

If you want to find out further information, you can download the detailed reports, where we break down each area and the scores obtained in different sub-parameters. This will give you an even more thorough view of the state of the ecosystem of each farm.

How do farmers achieve their Regeneration Index? 

The Regeneration Index process follows a systematic and structured approach that combines field and laboratory analysis. 

Field assessments

During farm visits, experts conduct observations and practical tests – many of them part of the visual soil analysis protocol. Some of these tests are:

• Measurement of soil penetrability, to assess its compaction. A very compacted soil does not filter water well, which leads to issues such as waterlogging, evaporation, and runoff, which prevent the soil from storing water, as a healthy soil would. 
• Worm count, a good indicator of underground functional biodiversity, and therefore, of a fertile soil.
• Aggregate stability tests, which indirectly analyse soil structure and the presence of microorganisms.
• Assessment of the percentage of plant cover and its composition, crucial to protecting the soil from erosion and improving water retention.
  
  

Laboratory analysis

What’s more, the experts take samples that are sent to specialised laboratories for a more detailed analysis.

• Soil samples to benchmark areas such as:
  
  

• Soil structure, which influences its ability to retain water and nutrients.
• Organic matter, essential for fertility and carbon sequestration.
• Essential nutrients, which ensure a proper balance in the soil.
  
  

• Water samples to assess the quality of the water used in irrigation. These are used to examine parameters such as pH, salinity, mineral levels (calcium, magnesium, sodium) and the presence of contaminants such as nitrates or heavy metals. All these factors affect soil health and crop development alike.
•  Sap samples (leaf): the levels of nutrients directly available in the leaves of the plants are measured. This gives us an insight into the nutritional status of the crop, allowing us to identify deficiencies or excesses of key nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and/or micronutrients. Ultimately, this helps the farmer adjust their soil fertilisation or enrichment techniques.
• Insect sample: collected to assess the biodiversity and abundance of insects on the farm, including pollinators, natural predators, and potentially harmful species. These analyses help measure the ecological balance and resilience of the ecosystem against pests, and benchmark the impact of regenerative practices on local fauna.
  
  

All these analyses are key to generating a Regeneration Index, which accurately reflects the state of the soil and guides farmers in their improvement process.

This process is carried out every year in three main stages:

1. Initial measurement (Baseline)

The process begins with a baseline, which benchmarks the current state of the farm. This initial measurement assesses the situation of the key cornerstones (soil, water and biodiversity); identifies areas for improvement; and lays the ground for future comparisons that validate the impact of regenerative practices. 

2. Progress in first year (Year 1)

One year later, the same measurements are repeated and the results are compared with the baseline. If significant improvements are observed in the key cornerstones, the farm can receive the Regenerative Farm label.>

3. Annual verification (Year X)

The process doesn’t end there. Each year, the Regeneration Index is repeated to ensure that the farm is still making steady progress and that regenerative practices are still generating tangible results. To keep the Regenerative Farm label, continuous improvements must be demonstrated. 

This is not just a benchmark, it’s a tool.

The Regeneration Index is key to regenerative agriculture because it provides transparency and clear data on the progress of farms. We cannot understand this model of agriculture without results to back it up. This builds trust both in the producer community and among consumers, while giving the credibility they deserve to farmers making the effort to embrace truly regenerative practices.

However, it should also be seen as a practical management tool that guides farmers in decision-making processes and in planning the rollout of initiatives. It provides clear data and metrics that can help farmers identify areas for improvement, adjust practices that have not had the expected impact, and focus on more effective strategies. We might think that an initiative has a substantial impact on an area and then see that it hasn’t, which will allow the farmer to rectify things and focus on other practices to improve their index and, consequently, improve the health and resilience of their farm.

The Regeneration Index — including all on-farm visits and evaluations, as well as laboratory analytics — is fully funded by CrowdFarming, thanks to our 1% for the Soil initiative, through which we earmark 1% of sales of regenerative farms or of farms in the process of regeneration to projects that help scale regenerative agriculture. 

We listened to an incredible number of panel sessions that covered a variety of topics, from practical soil health measurement techniques to certifications, financing and story-telling, but a lot went on off the stage too. It was great to meet face to face with the impressive group of people taking part in this movement. 

All the sessions are online, so we’ve compiled a few unmissable ones for you to check out! 

Cristina’s favourite sessions: 

• The title of the conference was already promising, ‘World Living Soils’ — on point. One quote that stood out to us during the opening session was: “This is not a forum on soil health, this is a forum on human health.” by Marc-André Selosse​ (Professor and Biologist) This was a powerful reminder that soil health is not an isolated issue; when we focus on soil, we’re addressing a multitude of interconnected challenges. Our current food system, heavily reliant on synthetic inputs, has widespread health consequences. During her panel, Sabine Bonnot (PlanetScore) also talked about a  recent French report that revealed that, in 2021, the government spent €19 billion to mitigate the negative effects of its agri-food system—nearly double the budget for ecological planning in 2024.
  
  
  
• After the first introductions, we were already immersed in soil health indicators with Natalia Rodriguez Eugenio (FAO), Kerstin Rosenow (European Commission) and Claire Chenu (INRAE). This allowed us not to leave behind, but perhaps to move forward despite the discussions on certifications or practices and to start from the common ground that ‘you cannot manage what you do not monitor’, as Joel Salatin says. Our kind of conversation, no doubt. On the data front, and now that we are in the midst of collecting and organising data from CrowdFarming’s regenerative farms, it was great to see the model developed by Genesis in collaboration with Moët Hennessy. 
  
  

• The presence of the adjective ‘limited’ has been a constant these two days: the agri-food system has been treating the soil, rural areas or even farmers, as if they were resources to be squeezed without limit. Just as there are laws protecting air and water, shouldn’t the soil that feeds us also be protected? In the session on providing training and assistance to farmers with Bastien Sachet (EarthWorm), Sébastien Roumegous (Biosphères), Meghan Sapp (Hub del Norte) and Dario Fornarina (EROC), the need to reinvest in the soils and rural communities we have been exploiting for so long was emphasised to ensure a viable future for the agri-food system. After all, all machinery needs to be maintained and invested in to keep it working properly. It is time to invest in the improvement of our soils, the heart of the machinery that produces our food. 
  
  

• We felt right at home at the session on new business models for agriculture with farmer Benedikt Bösel, Nicolas Chabanne (C’est qui le Patron?!) and our impact investor Adam Kybird (Triodos Bank). As leaders in regenerative agriculture, fair prices and capital for the agri-food transition were talking about new models, we felt like jumping up on stage! Luckily, CrowdFarming soon appeared as a reference in new direct sales models that support farmers in the transition to organic and regenerative while developing knowledge among consumers.
  
  

Emilia’s favourite sessions:

• We loved the shift in focus from sustainability as an extra to an essential part of making our businesses viable. Talking about soil health takes on more weight if we don’t (only) talk about biodiversity and carbon, but include in the conversation – and in the models – how this affects crop yields or input costs, as Romain Cocault (AXA Climate) said in his conversation with Joséphine Bournonville (Omie). Hopefully, more and more actors will start to see that the cost of inaction will undoubtedly be higher than the cost of implementing actions to improve soil health today.
  
  
  
• The session on Raising Awareness by Informing Consumers with Sabine Bonnot (PlanetScore), Joséphine Bournonville (Omie), and Fanny Giansetto (Ecotable) deeply resonated with us. Too often, communication strategies in this sector can be overly simplistic, or even paternalistic, but we need to recognise that our consumers have the ability to think critically. They understand that brands and companies are not perfect but are continually striving to improve. It is essential that they have access to key information about how their products are produced. Sabine explained the role of PlanetScore and what an original and key tool it is, offering full transparency and honesty about the climate impact of specific products. It would be great to see this score, front of pack on all products soon!
  
  
  
• Storytelling emerged as a crucial tool to engage capital, connect with markets, and foster collaboration in the session Changing the Narrative: New Imaginaries. Scientists alone cannot drive widespread change; we need marketers, advertisers, communicators, and storytellers to join the movement. The focus should be on portraying nature (and farmers) as the hero in the story rather than the victim. We now know that certain narratives have proven ineffective: “we’re all going to die” creates panic and resignation; “technology will save us” leaves us passively waiting for a miraculous solution; and “we need to return to the old ways” ignores the progress we’ve made and the innovative tools at our disposal. We need to create new narratives that put farmers at the forefront of the regenerative movement. 
  
  

In the end, the journey to Arles was well worth it. 

We knew we couldn’t sit idly by. If we want to protect the future of farming — and our business — , we must act now. And quite frankly, we’ve had enough of not enough. We’ve talked, we’ve listened, and we’ve bottled our rage and frustration towards something positive, the start of a solution. That’s why we’re proud to launch our biggest initiative yet: 1% for the Soil. 

Why 1% for the Soil?

The answer is simple: soil is the foundation of everything. Healthy soils are essential for nourishing food, resilient crops, and the long-term viability of farming. But the way we’ve been treating our land for decades is taking a toll. It’s time to move away from practices that deplete the soil and instead embrace regenerative agriculture — a method that not only sustains, but actively revitalises — regenerates  — the ecosystems that feed us.

Through the 1% for the Soil initiative, we’re dedicating 1% of all revenues generated by regenerative farms to transform 10,000 hectares of European farmland into regenerative systems. What about the costs? We believe that neither the farmers nor the consumers should be responsible for these costs. CrowdFarming is financing this investment, because we know that the future of farming — and the future of our food system — depends on it. It’s time to take responsibility for the future we hope to create. 

How will we make this happen?

Our plan is ambitious, but it’s one we believe in with all our hearts. Here’s how we’re going to make 1% for the Soil a reality:

• Empowering Farmers: We’re building a network of farmers committed to this transition. By sharing successful case studies and organising events and trainings, we’ll create a thriving community of farmers who are leading the regenerative revolution.
• Measuring Real Impact: With the help of experts, we’ll track the regeneration of the soil and ecosystems. This data will not only validate the impact of regenerative practices but also help farmers optimise their methods.
• Spreading the Word: It’s not enough to make changes on the farm — consumers need to know why this matters. We’ll be raising awareness through our communication channels, documenting the inspiring stories of farmers transitioning to regenerative agriculture, and highlighting the benefits for people and the planet.
• Advancing Knowledge: We’ll be working with researchers  to ensure that the right foundations are in place to support a large-scale shift toward regenerative farming.
• Developing Digital Tools: We’ll be creating user-friendly technology to make the transition smoother for farmers, from data-driven decision-making to creating a more connected regenerative agriculture community.
  
  

Join the Movement

The success of 1% for the Soil isn’t just about what happens on the farms; it’s about building a movement. We’ve assembled a passionate committee to guide the initiative, made up of regenerative experts, sustainability leaders, and, most importantly, YOU. (See the members of our committee here)

That’s right — you can be a part of this. Sign up to join the CrowdFarming 1% for the Soil committee, where you’ll have the opportunity to help shape the future of this initiative.

Here’s a quick sneak peek of the passionate voices that you could collaborate with as part of the committee:

“Everyone should stand up for what they believe in. I believe we humans made the world what it is now. I believe that we can make it what it once was. A place to live in harmony with nature.”

“Collaboration in an international and interdisciplinary team to regenerate cultivated areas. The ecological improvement of soils is one of the most important tasks for the future.”

“An honor, a privilege but also my rights. I have been CrowdFarming out of conviction for years, and I want and can help to become better.”

“I think that regenerative agriculture is a way in the right direction, especially in light of climate change, to promote and preserve soils and agriculture. Further developing and disseminating this method is certainly the right step to preserve the earth for future generations. If I can contribute to this in addition to my purchasing behavior, I would be happy to do so.”

“The opportunity as a consumer to have a say in decision-making and not only as a consumer, but also to seize opportunities and clearly define perspectives.”

“I would like to eat healthily for myself and my family with my grandchildren in the long term. This requires ecologically sustainable agriculture on nutrient-rich soil. It’s great that CrowdFarming is committed to this and I look forward to the information!!”

At CrowdFarming, we believe that the future is organic-regenerative. Together, we can create a food system that not only nourishes us today but sustains the planet long-term. In our day and age, it’s time businesses started to work for the long run. 

Let’s get started.

This year started off super well, with a spectacular flowering, which made us think it would be a great season. However, it turns out that the flowering of the osteen variety did not come to fruition. Nobody is 100% sure why this has happened, most of our farmers think that it could be due to the fact that last spring the temperature was too low, and therefore below the limit during the night and most of the flowers became “parthenocarpic” which means that develop without embryos. 

Some areas, like the Axarquia have lost up to 90% of their fruit. Other areas, like Granada, have luckily suffered much less. Two years ago, the high temperatures during spring affected the flowering, the mango produced fewer flowers because the plant felt that it was already in summer!  The few flowers that did turn into fruits ripen faster, so 2023 was the earliest and shortest mango season we had ever had in Spain.    

Accidents happen… 

As you may have seen on our social media accounts, we also dealt with a difficult situation in our logistics department. The lesson learnt: HASTE MAKES WASTE. 

The farmers take care of every part of the trees because they know that with fewer kilos, they have to recoup all the fixed costs that they have.

Recently, we started harvesting the first osteen mangoes of the season. We pick the mangoes in field crates, put the crates on a pallet and bring them to a logistics centre where we pack and ship them. 

Last week, when we opened the truck, we were beside ourselves. Two pallets had tipped over in transit and had knocked over the mangoes and passion fruit. A bar holding the pallets was not securely fastened, and possibly braking on the motorway caused this incident.

It is very frustrating how a minor but very important detail can upset our plans:

– The waste of crushed mangoes.

– The team that has to pick up the mess.

– Communicating the delay of the orders to the people who were waiting for their first mangoes.

– Going back to pick up new mangoes to prepare for the backorders 

Luckily at CrowdFarming, we always look on the bright side

We know that accidents happen and that sometimes things don’t go according to plan. The mangoes that were damaged by this accident will be turned into delicious mango chutney and other products for our anti food waste brand “All Is Good”. 

When working with nature, it’s important to be patient, learn to adapt, and accept changes. It’s thanks to our adoption model and our fantastic customer base that despite a tough harvest, our farmers will still make it through another season and continue to work with us to create the most sustainable food supply chain ever. 

Thank you for your help and support!

From Zero Scope 2 Emissions in 2023 to generating our own green electricity!

In 2023, we were super excited to have reduced our total CO2 emissions by 25%. This was possible because we cut out all Scope 2 emissions.

(What are scope 2 emissions? These are emissions that a company causes indirectly and come from where the energy it purchases and uses is produced. For example, the emissions caused when generating the electricity that we use in our buildings would fall into this category.)

 This means that all the electricity used in both CrowdFarming offices and our CrowdLog-Museros logistic centre last year was completely green. We ensured that every bit of our energy came from renewable sources, certified with guarantees of origin. 

While using green electricity was a significant step, we’re now taking our commitment even further. We’ve installed solar panels at CrowdLog-Museros. By generating our own green electricity, we’re not just consumers of renewable energy—we’re producers.

This initiative allows us to:

• Enhance Energy Independence: Generating our own electricity reduces our reliance on external energy sources and makes our operations more resilient.
• Promote Sustainable Practices: Leading by example, we hope to inspire other companies and logistic centres to adopt renewable energy solutions and contribute to a more resilient and sustainable future.
  
  

While Valencia enjoys plenty of sunshine, there may be times when we cannot generate enough electricity to meet our needs. In such cases, we will continue to purchase the remainder of our electricity from our previous renewable sources.

Setting the standard

Our mission at CrowdFarming has always been about more than just delivering fresh, organic and regenerative produce straight from the farmer to the consumer. It’s about making a positive impact on the environment and always thinking about what we can do better. If we are to create a more resilient and sustainable future, then we need to be setting the standards first and leading by example. The installation of solar panels at CrowdLog is a testament to our ongoing dedication to this mission.

We already share our core values with our farmers, and more than 25% of all our farmers already produce renewable energy on their farms. 

We’re thrilled to embark on this new journey of producing our own green electricity, and we look forward to sharing more updates on our sustainability initiatives. Thank you for being part of our journey towards a greener, more sustainable future. Together, we hope to make a real difference—one solar panel at a time.

Feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments, our teams would be happy to help!