Selected
2025 Global Climate Challenge

Tierra de Monte

Turning agriculture into a carbon sink and biodiversity engine through biotech that restores soil and empowers farmers

Team Leader
Adriana Luna-Diaz
TdeM turns agriculture into a carbon sink and biodiversity engine through biotech that restores soil and empowers farmers.

The Problem: While agriculture is a significant source of emissions, it also employs one in three people and feeds the world. Conventional practices harm the environment and lead to declining yields, but high-tech or agroecological solutions remain largely inaccessible—underscoring the need for scalable, climate-smart agriculture.


The Solution: Tierra de Monte proves that regenerative agriculture is not only viable but also scalable, profitable, and climate-positive. This solution transforms farms into climate regeneration hubs through a cutting-edge biological technology platform that utilizes beneficial microorganisms to restore soil health, increase yields, and reduce or eliminate the use of agrochemicals. Rather than harming the climate, this approach turns agriculture into a powerful tool for climate action. Microbial consortium-based products regenerate soil ecosystems from within, sequestering carbon and converting it into living biomass and microbial networks. Tierra de Monte manages pests ecologically and provides farmer-friendly agronomic advisory services, ensuring adoption even in low-resource communities. Already applied to over 85,000 hectares of farmland, the Tierra deMonte approach has shown measurable impacts, including net carbon sequestration and a 40% reduction in agrochemicals and emissions.

Stats: 

  • Over 40,000 people have been affected by Tierra de Monte’s work, including both the producers who purchase and apply Tierra de Monte products and the agricultural workers in those fields, who are directly protected from toxic exposure due to the transition to their products.
What is the name of your organization?
Tierra de Monte
What is the name of your solution?
Tierra de Monte
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
TdeM turns agriculture into a carbon sink and biodiversity engine through biotech that restores soil and empowers farmers.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
MEX
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Climate change (CCC) and agriculture are deeply intertwined. While agriculture is a major driver of climate change, it is also one of the sectors most directly impacted. Employing 1 in 3 people globally and providing food for all, agriculture is one of the most powerful levers to combat CCC, hunger, and forced migration. The sector accounts for 24% of global GHG emissions, primarily from methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and CO₂. It is also the largest consumer of freshwater, driving 70% of terrestrial biodiversity loss and 50% of freshwater biodiversity loss, while deforestation for agriculture claims 10 million hectares annually. CCC further exacerbates food insecurity—maize yields alone are projected to decline by 10% by 2055 due to rising temperatures, increased water demand, and extreme weather. Beyond environmental damage, CCC has triggered rural poverty, forced migration, and resource conflicts, leading the UN Security Council to recognize it as a global security threat. The conventional response—more pesticides, fertilizers, and emissions—has fueled a self-perpetuating cycle of environmental destruction. Meanwhile, both high-tech and agroecological alternatives remain inaccessible to most farmers due to cost and technical barriers, reinforcing the false belief that climate-smart farming is a niche solution rather than a scalable transformation.
What is your solution?
We're proving that regenerative agriculture is not only viable—it’s scalable, profitable, and climate-positive, turning farms into hubs of climate regeneration. Our solution is a cutting-edge biological technology platform that leverages beneficial microorganisms to restore soil health, boost yields, and reduce or eliminate the use of agrochemicals—transforming agriculture into a tool for climate action. Our products, based on microbial consortia, regenerate soil ecosystems from within. We don’t just sequester carbon—we activate it. By converting organic carbon into living biomass and microbial networks, we transform farmland into resilient, productive ecosystems that support food security. Rather than chemically attacking pests and diseases, we manage them ecologically, combining natural predators with the stimulation of plant defenses—eliminating the need for high-emission pesticides. Our delivery model—agronomic advisory services familiar to farmers—ensures adoption even in under-resourced communities. We bridge the gap between cutting-edge science and practical application, empowering farmers to become climate champions through their everyday work. Already in use across more than 85,000 hectares by both smallholders and industrial growers, our approach has delivered measurable results: net carbon sequestration in wheat fields with Trimex, and a 40% reduction in agrochemical use and emissions in Agrana’s strawberry supply chain.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution serves a wide spectrum of agricultural stakeholders—from independent smallholders to large-scale commercial producers and multinational agri-food corporations such as Agrana and Berrymex. What unites them is a shared need: practical, effective, and science-based solutions to enhance productivity, restore soil health, and build climate resilience. Rather than target only niche or high-end markets, Tierra de Monte delivers cutting-edge biotechnology that is both accessible and scalable. We’ve designed our products and services to meet farmers where they are—regardless of their size, budget, or production model—and to elevate the performance of their operations without compromising environmental integrity. For small-scale farmers, we offer affordable, easy-to-use solutions that increase profitability and reduce dependency on harmful inputs. For industrial producers and global supply chains, we provide measurable environmental benefits and climate-smart innovations that align with sustainability goals. By bridging scientific excellence with practical implementation, we enable farmers and agri-businesses alike to become active agents of regeneration—positioning agriculture as a climate solution, not a problem.

Organization Type: For-Profit
Headquarters: Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
Stage: Growth
Working In: Mexico

Solution Team:
Adriana Luna-Diaz
Adriana Luna-Diaz