Regenerative agriculture is as old as farming itself. It is an approach to the land that seeks to sustain the health of the soil, water, and ecosystems upon which the fertility and productivity of the land have always depended. How can companies contribute to the growth of regenerative agriculture? That’s the question that generated the Scale Lab, a new partnership between Sustainable Food Lab and the Midwest Row Crop Collaborative.
Introduction
Overview
2021 Work
We began by mapping the system to identify leverage points that would help extend the influence of supply-shed programs. We created stories of climate risk and regenerative agriculture to use within each company for identifying internal champions and creating cross-functional alignment, executive buy-in, and more efficient allocations of resources. By interviewing farmer network leaders, we were able to identify the investments needed to increase the capabilities and reach of implementing partners.
Downloadable Outputes Include:
• A deck on how to build and support the capabilities of farmer networks to help
implement programs;
• A system model of farmer decision-making;
• A climate risk deck, with:
◦ Data and graphs about frequency and
impacts of increased temperatures,
droughts,
and flooding;
◦ Tips for engaging procurement teams
about climate risk;
◦ Brand risks from climate change;
◦ Tips for engaging marketing and brand
teams;
◦ Financial risks;
◦ Tips for engaging finance teams;
• A cross-function interview guide with suggested
engagement questions for procurement, supply
chain and finance leaders;
Function-specific strategy maps to use along
with the interview guide to identify where the
priorities of sustainability intersect with those of
other key functions;
• A marketing engagement decision tree to show
how sustainability can be an important issue for
customers;
• A guide for engaging marketing and branding
departments.
• A give-get tool to build closer relationships with
key stakeholders and better understand how
they might benefit from the partnership;
• Funding for the Midwest Row Crop
Collaborative to identify strategies for ag retailer
engagement in regenerative agriculture; and
• A collaborative proposal for the USDA Climate
Smart Partnership Program.
Those who contributed insights
ABI: Nick Mylet
Cargill: Ryan Sirolli, Tai Ullman, Matt Schmitt
Danone: Chris Adamo, Christina Owens
General Mills: Jay Watson, Steven Rosenzweig, Christina Skonberg Ingredion: Brian Nash, Andy Utterback
Kellogg Company: Kate Schaffner
Mars: Luc Beerens
McDonalds: Sara Kroopf
PepsiCo: Margaret Henry
Unilever: Stefani Millie Grant, Jan Kees Vis, Giulia Stellari
Midwest Row Crop Collaborative: Ryan Whisnant
SAI Platform: Nick Betts
Field to Market: Rod Snyder, Betsy Hickman
US Farmers and Ranchers: Erin Fitzgerald, Amanda Raster Climate Collaborative: Erin Callahan
Cool Farm Alliance, Daniella Malin
Cheney Lake Watershed, and farmer: Lisa French
No-Till on the Plains, and farmer, NE: Keith Berns
Practical Farmers of Iowa: Sarah Carlson, Alisha Bower, Nick Ohde Precision Conservation Management, IL, Clay Bess, Laura Gentry Illinois Corn Growers: Rod Weinzierl
WWF Institute: Jason Clay
University of Arkansas: Marty Matlock
University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Ag: Rob Myers Purdue University: Linda Prokopy
Walton Family Foundation: Paul Wolfe
For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Reaves
[email protected]
Hal Hamilton
[email protected]
