Modeling Sustainable Intensification around the World
September 23, 2025
ARTICLE
When the first Bayer ForwardFarm opened its doors in Belgium in 2015 to visitors interested in learning about sustainable agriculture, the resonance was overwhelming. At the model farm, farmers, agricultural stakeholders, policymakers, journalists, civil society representatives, students, and others could experience the potential of sustainable intensification and system integration for yield, farm income and the environmental footprint. It soon became clear that this kind of model farm could make an important contribution to awareness, knowledge transfer, and improvements in agriculture through integrated systems technologies and techniques, particularly in countries with comparatively low agricultural productivity.
Since then, Bayer ForwardFarms opened their doors in more than 13 countries. All ForwardFarms demonstrate how implementing sustainable practices and innovative technologies can create a climate-resilient and profitable farming model that enhances total factor productivity – across 65 different crops including fruits, vegetables and grains.
ForwardFarms are model farms where the potential of sustainable and regenerative farming practices as well as systems integration from seed to post-harvest-storage become reality and can be seen and experienced by the visitors. Hands-on knowledge-sharing runs across all the phases of a growing season, and includes topics such as planting, early disease and pest detection, treatment, irrigation, use of machinery, digital tools, and more.
Each ForwardFarm is as an individual ecosystem and is unique in the crops it grows, the land it farms, and the community it serves, but across all farms the producers share a common passion for advancing regenerative and modern agriculture.
The farms exist thanks to independent and ambitious farmers who share the belief that economic and ecological sustainability are inseparable in agriculture. And that strong partnerships add value to their efforts to produce enough high-quality food, while at the same time future-proofing farming operations and making them more climate-resilient by preserving farmland, biodiversity, and natural resources such as water and soil.
Apart from expanding the Global Bayer ForwardFarming Network across the globe, Bayer is also promoting farmers scale their approaches within their countries through the ForwardFarming Members approach. A ForwardFarming member is an independent farmer with advanced digital skills, committed to sharing their agricultural story and advocating for the adoption and benefits of regenerative agriculture within their community.
The Global Bayer ForwardFarming Network represents the global diversity of crops and the ecosystems that support them. The initiative is currently present comprises in 13 countries. Those farms have already hosted over 65,000 visits aimed to promote regenerative agriculture practices. Last but not least, the Bayer ForwardFarms also helps enhance awareness about the origin of food and the relevance and contributions of modern agriculture to our all wellbeing.
In Argentina, the launch of Bayer ForwardFarm by Agrícola Testa generated great interest among many producers from different regions of Argentina and Uruguay. Recognizing the potential of the Systems Integration paradigm, these producers wanted to participate in the dialogue of regenerative agriculture.
Location: Pergamino, Argentina (230 km northwest of Buenos Aires)
History: Managed by the Testa family since 1916, spanning four generations.
Farm Size: 1,130 hectares
Primary Crops: Soybean, corn, and wheat
Notable Partnerships: AAPRESID, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Unimap Pessl
Agrícola Testa is located in one of Argentina’s key farming regions and managed by brothers Carlos and Marcelo Testa. They cultivate soybean, corn, wheat, camelina, and cover crops on their 1,130-hectare farm and are dedicated to advancing agricultural practices through education and community engagement.
Commitment to Education: The Testa brothers frequently host training courses on their farm, promoting dialogue and education within the agricultural sector.
Sustainable Practices: The brothers prioritize innovative technologies that enhance resource management and decision-making. They utilize a weather station to inform agricultural tasks and predict potential diseases and pests, optimizing control measures and the application of agrochemicals.
Precision Farming: Since 2009, Agrícola Testa has been a pioneer in precision farming, employing techniques that allow for variations in planting every square meter. Today, these methods are applied across 100% of their production area.
Environmental Responsibility: Carlos Testa emphasizes the importance of respecting the environment, reflecting the next generation’s commitment to sustainable farming practices.
Soil fertility: Crop rotation and regular soil analysis allow for optimizing the level of organic matter and soil nutrients, thereby preserving soil fertility for optimal productivity.
Visit our website at:
https://www.bayer.com/en/agriculture/forwardfarming
And to read up on regenerative agriculture at Bayer take a look at our Crop Science Sustainability Progress Report
More information and testimonials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIVaQhUaEqM&t=98s