Sowing seeds for sustainable farming
A big part of Absolut’s identity is its strong connection to the local community, in which the farmers who provide the distillery with winter wheat are vital. Through a new project, Absolut hopes to spark curiosity and inspiration around sustainable farming methods among the over 300 farms in its Wheat Sustainability Programme.
“We’re very proud of our large farming community, but with such a large collective, knowledge, interests and goals often vary. This project is our shot at trying to move the collective forward together regarding biodiversity, efficient use of nutrition and crop protection,” says Marcus Lundmark.
The project, Absolut Farmers, is a ‘demonstration project’ where Absolut and four collaborating farms highlight sustainable farming practices according to three key themes – biodiversity, nutrient efficiency and crop protection. Each demo farm showcases different practices, which can be easily mimicked, to inspire other farms. The idea is to show methods that are effective but require a reasonable effort that suits a farm’s ambition. Biological systems need time to adapt, and changes must come gradually so farms aren’t encouraged to apply all available methods in one go. In short, the premise behind the project is that each farm knows what works best for them.
“Each demo farm was chosen because they are unique. They operate under specific circumstances and are managed based on different interests or knowledge. The same goes for any of the over 300 farms we work with,” says Marcus.
So, while some farmers might be more interested in biodiversity, others may focus on the efficient use of nutrition, while some are very skilled in crop protection.
Marcus adds: “With this project, we want to use the diversity within our farming community and show how easy it is to work more sustainably. If you find solutions you like, you should also be able to apply them to your own farm. Each farm is unique and so are the farmers.”
Show, don’t tell
In May 2024, Absolut invited all farmers within its Wheat Sustainability Programme to an exhibition of a few of the sustainable methods, which could make a significant impact and are easily adopted. After a full day of exploring and learning new practices, Absolut hopes it can inspire at least a few of the farmers to make the most of their land.
Simultaneously, efforts are also being made to reach farmers through social media and other platforms, such as agricultural news outlets. Hearing farmers tell their own stories and explaining what can be done has been successful before, as it leads to action.
“It’s an effective and meaningful thing when farmers inspire each other. It’s much better than if we were to just point in one direction and tell everyone exactly what they should do. If a neighbouring farm sows flowering field edges around their farmland, for instance, that might be exactly the level of persuasion you need. That way, you get first-hand proof that it’s not too complicated. We want small initiatives like that to spread like ripples. All of a sudden, there might be four or five farms in the village that do the same thing.”
Each demo farm was chosen because they are unique.
A programme to inspire farmers
Absolut Farmers is still in its early stages – it is first and foremost a demonstration project. However, it is Absolut’s Wheat Sustainability Programme that defines both the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ of this project. This programme dictates what Absolut looks for when buying the high-quality winter wheat that makes up the base of the vodka.
Aside from making sure the quality is up to par, it also comes with a set of sustainable farming methods that Absolut encourages and incentivises farmers to implement. It has been in place for over two decades, and Absolut constantly works on improvements that help secure quality wheat, farmed sustainably. For the Absolut Farmers initiative, the timeline has initially been set to five years. Marcus says: “We have one goal with Absolut Farmers: for farmers to inspire each other. We already know that they care, but also that they know best what works for their specific farm. With that said, if you fast forward five years and see farmers approach us directly for advice, that would of course be very humbling and a real sign of success. We would, without any hesitation, take the time to share our knowledge on how to adopt new farming practices that suit their ambition, interest and knowledge.”
We have one goal with Absolut Farmers: for farmers to inspire each other.
