Multi X and BioMar Launch Chile’s First Regenerative Agriculture Pilot for the Salmon Value Chain 

The joint project collaboration will explore how regenerative agriculture can strengthen the resilience and environmental performance of agricultural raw materials connected to feed solutions for salmon production. It is the aim to evaluate if the model should be extended across more than 18,000 hectares of farmland in southern Chile. 

Agriculture plays an important role in supplying raw materials to produce feed solutions for the aquaculture value chain. As climate change and pressure on natural resources create new challenges for food production, improving soil health and strengthening the resilience of agricultural systems are becoming increasingly important to maintaining productive and economically viable supply chains over the long term. 

Regenerative agriculture offers an important complement to traditional agriculture.  By focusing on farming practices that support soil health, biodiversity and resilience, it has the potential to improve how agricultural raw materials are produced while addressing some of the environmental challenges associated with food production. 

For aquaculture, this matters because many of the raw materials used in feed originate in agriculture. Understanding how these ingredients can be produced more responsibly and resiliently is therefore an important part of addressing environmental impacts across the wider aquaculture value chain. 

Against this backdrop, Chilean salmon producer Multi X and aquaculture feed company BioMar have signed a collaboration agreement to develop a regenerative agriculture pilot in southern Chile. The technical work will be led by Chile’s Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), with field implementation by Cooperativa Agrícola de Granos. It is the first pilot of its kind in Chile to be jointly developed by four public and private organisations. 

The 24-month project began in August 2026 and will assess regenerative agriculture practices in wheat and pea crops, two locally produced raw materials with potential applications within the salmon value chain. 

The pilot involves all 14 members of Cooperativa Agrícola de Granos in the Los Ríos and Los Lagos regions. If the results are positive, the model could be extended across the cooperative members’ total farming area of between 18,000 and 20,000 hectares, providing an opportunity to apply regenerative agriculture practices at greater scale in southern Chile. 

Michael Adler, Technical Director at BioMar Chile, said: “Exploring the benefits of regenerative agriculture offers an alternative approach to addressing soil depletion. We want to assess these practices and support the transfer of knowledge to local farms, contributing to more responsible salmon production at each stage of the value chain.” 

Beyond the field trials, the project also includes a comparative analysis of agricultural best practices across the continent. This will support the development of biodiversity and regeneration indicators and provide relevant information for decision-making within both the salmon farming industry and the financial sector. 

By generating evidence from the pilot, the partners aim to better understand the environmental and economic potential of regenerative agriculture and whether these practices could be applied more widely. The learnings could also contribute to a broader understanding of how agricultural production can support a more resilient and responsible aquaculture value chain. 

Mauricio Magnasco, General Manager of Cooperativa Agrícola de Granos, said: “For Chilean agriculture, earning the trust of industries with demanding requirements, such as salmon farming, is important. This comparative study should provide a clearer understanding of the standards applied to annual crop production in Chile.”