The 20th
anniversary
edition
March 14 & 15, 2025
at UNESCO • Paris

You are the co-founder of the French company Genesis, an independent agricultural soil rating agency. Can you tell us a bit more about your background and what led you to create this company?

Adrienne de Malleray : My commitment to this project is the result of both my personal and professional experience. I grew up in a rural area, with parents who were farmers, and I was made aware very early on of the crucial role this profession plays. Farmers have a public service mission far beyond most other jobs. They are the guardians of the landscape and the stewards of our food supply. Later, as a journalist, I regularly covered agriculture and the environment, but almost always in opposition. Agricultural production became synonymous with pollution or ecosystem destruction.

Creating Genesis responded to my need to reconcile these two issues.

By focusing on improving soil health, Genesis addresses two essential needs: supporting farmers economically by protecting their soil, which is their primary means of production, and preserving our ecosystems.

The diagnostic service you offer allows for a quantitative assessment of soil health and its resilience. What are your findings, and how do you support your clients after the diagnosis?

According to the UN, 40% of the land is currently degraded, reducing its biological or economic productivity. Soil degradation results from inadequate agricultural practices. This impacts their resilience to climate change, flooding, and drought, as well as their ability to provide stable yields over time.

My first challenge is to reconnect industry with agriculture.

Agriculture is often reduced to food production, but in reality, agriculture supplies many sectors: textiles, furniture, cosmetics, biofuels… Over 50% of the global GDP relies on agriculture. These industries are very distant from the agricultural world and production methods.

Genesis wants to rebuild this connection by providing a simple information system on the state of the resource — our agricultural land — to align all players in the value chain, from the farmer to the CEO of an industrial group.

I begin with this because it’s important to understand that we cannot blame companies for harming our planet if they don’t have the information necessary to guide their decisions. This is also the key to valuing the most sustainable agricultural practices.

This awareness is urgent. Indeed, wherever Genesis operates — from South America to Europe and Asia — we see that soils are degraded, already jeopardizing not only our ecosystems but also the sustainability of yields.

We classify soil health into 5 categories, ranging from excellent to critical. While most of them fall into an average state, the soils from which certain raw materials come are now at alarmingly high levels of degradation. At the same time, we have also found that other practices on the same crops can lead to opposite results. This degradation is therefore not inevitable.

You say you encourage the adoption of regenerative practices. How do you work with major brands, and what are your results in this regard?

Our primary role is to provide reliable information by country and production method on the impact of farming practices.

In practice, we take soil samples and study carbon stocks and storage potential, erosion levels, and the impact of crops on soil biodiversity, aerial biodiversity, and water quality.

This information allows our clients to develop transition roadmaps. They prioritize the raw materials they want to transition. We also help them determine, at varying levels of detail, the agricultural practices to prioritize for the most impactful transformations on a large scale, such as agroforestry. Naturally, soils vary greatly in Europe, Asia, and Central America, and there is no one-size-fits-all practice worldwide.

We then support our clients, whether they are suppliers or buyers of raw materials, in implementing sustainable supply chains based on measured impacts.

We create preference for production systems with a positive impact, which also provides better market opportunities for farmers within these supply chains.

The Université de la terre will take place on March 14th & 15th at UNESCO, addressing various topics under the theme “Nature = Future.” As the industrial agricultural model faces a crisis, scientific studies continue to highlight its environmental and health failings. Do you think a system that respects life and ecosystems is really feasible while ensuring fair remuneration for producers?

If I wasn’t convinced of this, I wouldn’t have started Genesis.

This transition must happen to protect us… If it doesn’t protect the main actors of life, it is doomed to fail.