Picture this: 4,000 tonnes of perfectly good potatoes with nowhere to go. That's roughly the weight of 800 elephants. Or, enough potatoes to make Kartoffelpuffer for the entire city of Berlin several times over.
This is the reality facing Osterland Agrar, a farm south of Leipzig that we have a small investment in. Thanks to ideal growing conditions in 2025, Osterland had a bumper potato harvest. This should be good news, but our food system isn't set up to handle abundance and without help, thousands of tonnes of delicious potatoes would have gone to waste.
As a German company we felt a particular responsibility for these potatoes – and we decided to do something about it. We have partnered with Berliner Morgenpost to distribute the potatoes across Berlin. One truckload of 20 tonnes is going directly to people in need via Berliner Tafel.
This initiative isn't just about rescuing root vegetables. It's about highlighting the broken systems that lead to food waste in the first place — and showing what we can do differently.
Why we invest in farms
Ecosia dedicates 100% of its profits to climate action, which increasingly means supporting projects beyond reforestation.
We were an early investor in Osterland and have a 1% share in the farm. Osterland now represents the world's largest transformation from conventional to Bioland organic farming practices across 5,700 hectares.
Why invest in farms? Because industrial agriculture is the number one driver of deforestation and accounts for roughly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The way we grow food is directly connected to the health of our forests, our soil, and ultimately our planet.
Regenerative agriculture does the opposite. It improves soil health, increases water security, boosts nutrition, and can even pull carbon out of the atmosphere. Combined with reforestation, these practices could remove most of the CO2 emissions released over the last century.
The connection between potatoes and forests (yes, there is a connection!)
Here's a number worth chewing on: for every 16kg of potatoes eaten instead of the same calorie amount of soy-fed chicken, one tree is saved. With 4,000 tonnes of potatoes, that's 250,000 trees saved from being cleared for animal feed production.
Shifting toward plant-based diets isn't just good for personal health — it's one of the most powerful actions we can take to reduce deforestation in tropical forests. This potato distribution demonstrates that connection in a tangible way.
When abundance becomes waste
This potato surplus reveals something troubling: markets alone can't regulate food effectively. When growing conditions are ideal and harvests exceed expectations, perfectly good food gets thrown away because our systems aren't designed to handle it. Meanwhile, access to healthy, sustainable food remains a challenge for many communities.
This is why initiatives like the Berlin potato distribution matter. They demonstrate what's possible when organizations work together to prevent waste and feed cities sustainably. But temporary solutions aren't enough. We need authorities to create frameworks that support communities and make healthy, sustainable food options accessible and affordable.
Climate action beyond trees
Tree planting remains central to Ecosia's mission. But addressing the climate crisis requires tackling its root causes, and industrial agriculture is one of the biggest. By supporting the transformation to regenerative farming practices at Osterland and helping prevent the waste of 4,000 tonnes of organic produce, we're demonstrating what holistic climate action looks like.
All of this we can only do thanks to people like you using Ecosia. Keep an eye on our blog and socials for updates on potatogate!
