Bayer accelerates regenerative viticulture with the ‘Regenerate to Grow’ project

Bayer strengthens its commitment to regenerative viticulture with the “Regenerate to Grow” project, presented today, March 11, 2026, at the San Patrignano Auditorium in Coriano (Rimini). The initiative involves several Italian wine estates and aims to promote agronomic practices focused on sustainability, biodiversity protection and vineyard resilience.

The project was created to support the wine sector during a phase characterized by growing challenges: climate change, evolving pathogens and pests, alterations in vine phenological cycles and an increasingly stringent regulatory framework. In this context, Bayer proposes an approach that integrates technological innovation, agronomic support and digital tools. The goal is to “improve vineyard management and farm profitability.”

“Regenerate to Grow” involves partner estates in Piedmont, Tuscany and Veneto and combines agronomic practices adopted by farms with crop protection solutions and digital decision support systems (DSS). The initiative includes biodiversity monitoring activities. In addition, communication actions targeting the wine supply chain are planned.

According to Bayer, regenerative viticulture is based on measurable results that include increased productivity, improved socio-economic well-being of farming communities, soil health, biodiversity protection and sustainable water resource management.

Greta Pignata, Communications & Regenerative Agriculture Expert Bayer Crop Science Italia, explains: “For Bayer, regenerative agriculture is a production model based on achieving key results,” including “increased yield and improved productivity, improved socio-economic well-being of farmers and communities, improved soil health, climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity protection and restoration, water resource conservation.”

During the event, the experiences of the 2025 growing season, the first year of project implementation, were presented. Participating estates include San Felice, Marcello del Majno, Fontanafredda and Montaribaldi.

Carlo De Biasi, general manager of San Felice, emphasized: “San Felice is among the pioneering estates in sustainable viticulture in Tuscany and actively participates in international networks dedicated to regenerative viticulture. It has long worked on restoring soil fertility and protecting biodiversity. Particularly on this last point, with the ‘Regenerate to Grow’ project it has found a concrete and measurable path to strengthen this commitment.”

Alberto Fregonese, technical director Marcello del Majno, highlighted: “The connection with the local community is one of the central elements of our estate’s journey. This regenerative viticulture project allows us to manage biodiversity enhancement in a structured way and, thanks to the integrated use of innovative crop protection products and digital tools, to preserve grape quality while optimizing inputs, with positive effects in terms of economic efficiency and relationship with the territory.”

Alberto Grasso, technical director and agronomic manager Casa Emanuele di Mirafiore – Fontanafredda, explained: “Regenerative viticulture within the organic context in which we operate requires solutions fully compatible with this approach. The use of mating disruption for Lobesia botrana management, for example, has allowed us to maintain production quality, reducing soil compaction, favoring beneficial entomofauna and reducing water use for insecticide treatments, with concrete benefits for soil and environment.”

Sergio Belmonte, technical director vineyard and cellar Montaribaldi, added: “The use of digital technology for disease monitoring, included in the ‘Regenerate to Grow’ collaboration project, has made downy mildew management more effective in a climate change context. Treatment optimization has allowed us to reduce environmental impacts and unnecessary vineyard passes, with concrete benefits on costs, efficiency and productivity.”

Part of the project concerns biodiversity monitoring in vineyards. Since 2025, Bayer Crop Science has been collaborating with 3Bee, a company specializing in biodiversity measurement and protection. Within partner estates, satellite data and environmental parameters have been integrated with pollinator insect monitoring through eight Spectrum IoT bioacoustic sensors, developed by XNatura, a division of Nature Intelligence by 3Bee. In addition, the estates involved have adopted site-specific Biodiversity Action Plans.

Daniele Valiante, Agronomist & Biodiversity Strategist at 3Bee, stated: “The collaboration with Bayer and the wine estates stems from the awareness that monitoring and preserving local biodiversity means protecting the integrity of the territory and the unique identity of wines. At a time when the agricultural sector is called upon to face the challenges of climate change and habitat loss, we have implemented a concrete and scientifically grounded approach to understand, quantify and improve the relationship between wine production and nature.”

Initial data collected indicate ecological conditions superior to market benchmarks in the vineyards involved. For 2026, Bayer plans to expand the project to new estates interested in regenerative viticulture.

Objectives include strengthening plant protection strategies from a regenerative perspective, measuring specific key performance indicators (KPIs) and launching training activities dedicated to winegrowers. The intent is to make regenerative viticulture a model applicable on a larger scale. For this reason, monitoring and evaluation tools capable of measuring the effects of practices adopted in vineyards have been selected.