Truke Smoor is Sustainability Director Water at Cargill and leads the development and implementation of the company’s global water strategy. Truke has been the architect of the water targets for Cargill, the first of its kind addressing water availability, quality and access to safe drinking water across the value chain. Before joining Cargill, Truke worked as an environmental consultant and has had roles in chemicals and pharmaceutical industry.
This exclusive feature explores Truke Smoor's pivotal role as the Global Sustainability Director for Water at Cargill, where she leads the development and execution of the company’s global water strategy. Truke shares invaluable insights into how regenerative agriculture plays a crucial role in improving water resilience and addressing the growing challenges of water scarcity and quality. With a focus on creating sustainable solutions across agricultural supply chains, Truke highlights the significant impact of nature-based practices in building long-term water resilience, while offering expert guidance on the importance of collective responsibility and innovation in safeguarding this vital resource.
Water is not just an operational input but a shared resource critical to economic stability and environmental health
Water is the foundation of our global food system. Yet, intensifying droughts and flooding, declining water quality, and increasing climate pressures – such as shifting weather patterns and more frequent extreme weather events – are increasingly disrupting agricultural supply chains and food security. These risks mean that we need to not only work on reducing impact, but also on restoring ecosystems and building resilience. At Cargill, we recognize that water is not just an operational input but a shared resource critical to economic stability and environmental health. One of the most effective ways to safeguard water resources while boosting long-term agricultural productivity is through regenerative agriculture.
Regenerative Agriculture: A Nature-Based Solution for Water Resilience
Cargill defines regenerative agriculture as farming and ranching systems that build resilience and deliver positive environmental outcomes for people and our planet. Key regenerative practices – such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, rotational grazing, and agroforestry – improve soil’s ability to absorb and store water, reduce runoff and help make agricultural landscapes more resilient to extreme weather events.
Strengthening Water Availability in a Changing Climate
Agriculture accounts for approximately 70 percent of all freshwater use globally, making it one of the most significant drivers of water consumption. Healthy soil functions like a sponge, capturing and holding water where it is needed most. Regenerative practices improve soil structure, enabling greater water infiltration and retention, reducing irrigation demand and mitigating the effects of drought. As climate variability intensifies, improving water-holding capacity is a necessary adaptation strategy. In Cargill’s fiscal year 2024 alone, we restored 38 billion liters of water, with 33 billion of those liters resulting from regenerative agriculture initiatives.
Mitigating Water Pollution Through Smarter Land Management
Beyond improving water availability, regenerative agriculture also helps reduce agricultural runoff, which remains a major contributor to global water pollution – carrying excess nutrients and sediments into freshwater ecosystems. Regenerative agriculture mitigates these risks by preventing soil erosion and enhancing nutrient cycling. Techniques such as rotational grazing and strategic cover cropping stabilize soil, reducing the transport of pollutants into waterways. Additionally, healthier soils naturally require fewer chemical inputs, further decreasing contamination risks and meeting the growing expectations of customers, communities and industry partners.
The Opportunity to Address Water Challenges Across Industries
While regenerative agriculture can help address these challenges within food production, industries across the board must rethink their relationship with water and seek solutions that align with their footprints. Water is a critical resource for businesses across industries, but the opportunities to drive meaningful impact vary. For example, data centers require large volumes of water to operate, yet their ability to influence water scarcity may be limited. In contrast, industries like food and agriculture have a unique opportunity to drive change by embedding water stewardship into supply chains. Product design and innovation also present untapped potential – imagine if everyday products like soaps and cleaning solutions were optimized for minimal water use, or if food and feed sourcing strategies prioritized regions with sustainable water availability.
Enabling a Water-Positive Impact Through Regenerative Agriculture
As water-related risks intensify, the role of regenerative agriculture in corporate sustainability strategies is becoming clearer. That’s why Cargill is working to enable a water-positive impact across our operations, supply chains, and communities by 2030. We intend to do this by addressing the shared water challenges of availability, quality and access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Our approach goes beyond our own operational footprint to focus on where we can have the greatest impact: our agricultural supply chains, which account for more than 90 percent of our water footprint across the value chain. The integration of regenerative practices into these key areas is not just about reducing environmental footprint; it’s about strengthening long-term water resilience.
At Cargill, we believe that water stewardship must go beyond operational efficiencies to include broader supply chain and ecosystem-level solutions. That’s why we focus on avoiding and reducing unsustainable water footprints while restoring and regenerating water resources through regenerative agriculture. By working alongside industry partners, farmers and customers, we aim to demonstrate that water is not just a business risk to be managed – it is a shared resource that requires collective responsibility and innovation to help build a more resilient global food system.
