innocent drinks has announced the 18 recipients of its 2026 Farmer Innovation Fund (FIF), supporting projects across 14 countries aimed at improving the resilience and sustainability of global fruit and vegetable supply chains.
Now in its fifth year, the fund provides up to £1 million annually to help farmers and suppliers adopt regenerative and climate-resilient farming practices. The latest round follows a record number of applications, with successful projects spanning four continents and eight priority ingredients including oranges, apples, coconuts, grapes, strawberries and mangoes.
From supporting coconut farmers in the Philippines to tackling one of the citrus industry’s biggest challenges in Brazil, the funded initiatives aim to address some of the key pressures facing global agriculture, including climate change, biodiversity loss, water management and supply chain resilience.
With more than half of innocent’s carbon footprint coming from its ingredients, the company said the Farmer Innovation Fund represents a major opportunity to reduce Scope 3 emissions while strengthening the long-term availability of fruit and vegetables.
One of the funded projects in Brazil will focus on improving how greenhouse gas emissions and carbon removals are measured at farm level. Working on a SAI FSA Gold-level verified citrus farm, the initiative will combine farm data, soil sampling, remote sensing and carbon modelling to develop a robust system for measurement, reporting and verification.
The pilot aims to move beyond theoretical carbon estimates and create a scalable framework that can be expanded across suppliers and supply chains, helping improve confidence in agricultural carbon data while accelerating climate-smart farming practices. It is done alongside 3Keel, a sustainability consultancy that works with organisations on environmental and supply chain issues, particularly around areas such as climate strategy, carbon measurement, sustainable sourcing and agriculture.
“Oranges are a strategically important ingredient, and building resilient citrus supply chains starts with understanding the real impact of actions taken on the farm,” said Garett Stoll, Senior Consultant at 3Keel. “Through this pilot, we’re testing a rigorous new approach to measuring greenhouse gas emissions and carbon removals, combining farm data, soil sampling and remote sensing to generate credible, science-based insights. Our ambition is to create a scalable framework that can help strengthen climate reporting, support growers and unlock greater confidence in the role agriculture can play in tackling climate change.”
The fund is also supporting projects focused on ingredients experiencing rising demand. As coconut water continues to become a mainstream choice among UK consumers, partnerships with organisations such as Peter Paul Philippine Corporation, one of the world’s largest integrated coconut processors, are helping develop climate-smart farming practices for smallerholder coconut farmers.
Based in the Philippines, Peter Paul’s project will support farmers in the Bondoc Peninsula and Pagbilao clusters through mulching techniques designed to improve soil moisture, fertility and yields, helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.
“Our project helps farmers in the Bondoc Peninsula and Pagbilao clusters with mulching techniques to improve soil moisture, fertility and yield,” said Clarito Q. Ona, Fair Trade Officer at Peter Paul Philippine Corporation. “By strengthening resilience at the farm level, we can help farming communities better adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change.”
Five of this year’s successful projects are previous recipients of the Farmer Innovation Fund, highlighting innocent’s focus on building long-term partnerships that deliver lasting environmental and agricultural benefits.
Projects were selected through a judging process involving innocent’s internal steering committee and an external advisory board of industry experts. Applications were assessed against criteria including alignment with sustainability priorities, potential carbon impact and the ability to deliver meaningful improvements across farming practices.
“Being able to bring fruit and veg to more people, starts entirely with the people who grow it,” said Nick Canney, CEO at innocent drinks. “This year’s winners are taking on some of the biggest challenges facing agriculture today, from climate resilience and water management to carbon reduction and biodiversity. We’re delighted to support these innovative projects and look forward to seeing the positive impact they can deliver.”
Since launching, the Farmer Innovation Fund has supported projects around the world designed to help farmers transition towards more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. innocent said it will continue to monitor funded initiatives and share learnings with the wider industry to help safeguard the future supply of fruit and vegetables.
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