When Johanna talks about the journey towards fossil-free agriculture within Climate & Nature, the commitment shines through. She describes both a personal journey and a system change that in a short time has gone from vision to reality. The development of fossil-free fertilizer is more than a technical innovation, it is a key to reducing the climate impact of food production. 

Few people outside of agriculture may know  that manure is a crucial component of global food production. Without fertilisers, the world would face a serious food crisis, with the risk of radical reductions in crop yields, which are simply a prerequisite for feeding the world's growing population. At the same time, mineral fertilizers are one of agriculture's largest sources of emissions, where traditional production is dependent on fossil fuels. 

"Fertiliser is crucial for feeding the world, but at the same time it is one of the largest sources  of the food chain's carbon footprint.       in transforming the most basic into something sustainable," says Johanna. 

Together with Yara , Lantmännen began to discuss the possibilities for a fossil-free mineral fertilizer, the technology to replace fossil natural gas with hydrogen produced using renewable electricity and water.    Johanna highlights that Lantmännen was a crucial partner to Yara in getting production done by guaranteeing demand, something that clearly shows Lantmännen's role as an enabler. 

The result was the plant in Norway that Yara inaugurated in 2024, one of the world's first of its kind, and for Johanna, the importance of fossil-free fertilizer is hard to overestimate. 

"It's a gigantic step forward towards climate neutrality. By using technology based on renewable hydrogen, we are making a crucial change to reduce the total climate footprint of food production," she describes. 

Johanna started her journey at Lantmännen as a trainee, an experience that came to shape her future. Four varied rotations gave her a broad picture of the business, and during one of them she got to work on the concept and packaging for what is today Climate & Nature. 

For Johanna, the success of the program is not only a result of technology and business acumen, but also of culture and leadership. She describes how she has been lucky enough to work in an organization that dares to give responsibility and where there is a genuine desire to let people and ideas come forward. Perhaps it is precisely this culture that makes Lantmännen stand out. 

"Many people say that we are a nice company, and that is true, but it is also a company with passion and drive. There is a glow here, a feeling that you come to work and care, that you are committed.  

What that passion and commitment leads to becomes clear when you look at the development towards fossil-free food production and Climate & Nature. Since its launch, the programme has successfully reduced the carbon footprint of agriculture by up to 45 per cent compared to 2015 levels and covers key crops such as wheat, barley, rye and oats.  

In 2024 , Lantmännen is likely to become the first company in the world to achieve fossil-free food production on a commercial scale. When the products Kungsörnen wheat flour and AXA oatmeal rolled out on store shelves, it marked a global milestone for the entire food chain. 

To achieve this, Lantmännen has not only implemented fossil-free fertiliser in Climate & Nature , but  has also switched to biofuels in field work, which means that tractors and combine harvesters are powered by renewable fuels. Fossil energy sources have also been phased out in other parts of the value chain, such as transport, grain drying and milling. 

The fact that Lantmännen today has a ready-made model for what is probably the world's most fossil-free food value chain is something Johanna is proud of. 

"We are probably the first in the world to be able to show an entire chain, from field to finished product, with almost no fossil emissions.   and it shows that we don't just talk about the future with Climate & Nature, we shape it," concludes Johanna.