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McCain and SMI launch project to scale regenerative farming globally
The Sustainable Markets Initiative launched the Lighthouse Project to showcase cross-sector collaboration's role in accelerating regenerative farming adoption for a more sustainable agricultural future.
www.mccain.com
‘Routes to Regen’, an innovative farm Lighthouse Project, has today been launched by members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) including McCain Foods to demonstrate how regenerative farming can be made into a more attractive business proposition for UK farmers when supported by cross-sector collaboration.
The project, which will take place in the East of England throughout 2025, aims to address the environmental challenges posed by the global food system, which is responsible for approximately 30% of human-produced greenhouse gas emissions and remains the biggest driver of nature loss.
While the benefits of regenerative farming are well established, research by the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Agribusiness Hub has found that economic risk and a fragmented support system often deter farmers from making the transition.
This project will see leading food and finance businesses including McCain Foods, McDonald's, Lloyds Banking Group, Waitrose & Partners, NatWest, Barclays, Aon, Tokio Marine Kiln and Lloyd’s, turn insights from this research into action. It aims to demonstrate a united approach in tackling barriers to transition by consolidating and simplifying support mechanisms into a clear and accessible framework for farmers alongside expert support to help farmers select the best solutions for their unique business.
The project will be programme-managed by The Royal Countryside Fund, with on-farm advice from Ceres Rural and will provide participating farmers with a ‘menu’ of support such as:
The project will be programme-managed by The Royal Countryside Fund, with on-farm advice from Ceres Rural and will provide participating farmers with a ‘menu’ of support such as:
- Financial support: Awareness of the discounted capital available, business planning advice, opportunities to supply rotational crops, discounted seeds for cover crops and pollinators, weather insurance, advice to make best use of public funding schemes.
- Technical support: Research and trial insights, connections to local livestock farmers, assistance with measurement/data collection such as discounted soil sampling.
- Peer-to-Peer support:Opportunities to attend demonstration days and knowledge sharing events.
By taking a whole farm approach, the programme aims to reduce risk for the farmer, increase adoption rates, and make regenerative agriculture a more viable and attractive choice for farmers.
The support options have been provided by the SMI members leading the work alongside other companies and initiatives operating in the region including ADM, British Sugar, Burgess Farms, Cranswick plc, Farm Carbon Toolkit, Frontier, Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs), Muntons, North Farm Livestock, Soil Association Exchange, Sustainable Food Trust and Wildfarmed.
The project will also test SAI Platform’s recently developed Regenerating Together Framework, which offers a globally aligned definition and farmer-centric approach for regenerative agriculture, as the basis for its measurement and evaluation.
The group intends to showcase learning from the project to other organisations aiming to accelerate regenerative farming around the world, with ambitions for it to be replicated in other regions, with more support for farmers added. A key area of opportunity will be leveraging the Sustainable Markets Initiative's network of over 250 CEOs globally, to unite the food, finance, and insurance sectors, facilitating the essential collaboration needed.
Charlie Angelakos, Vice President, Global External Affairs and Sustainability, McCain Foods, said: “We are proud to be spearheading this pioneering pilot project. McCain and other SMI members are already leading the charge in driving initiatives that incentivise and encourage the regenerative transition for farmers. But potatoes represent just one crop in the rotation and we know we can’t do this alone. Achieving scale requires a whole farm approach and collaboration across industry is essential to achieving that. This project will build on and unite existing initiatives, simplifying and making the transition a more viable and accessible choice for the farmer.”
The Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Agribusiness Hub was launched in 2020 with the aim of accelerating the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices within the industry, while ensuring positive partnerships with the world's farmers.
In 2022, its ‘Scaling Regenerative Farming: An Action Plan’ identified five key barriers to adoption—costs, policy, sourcing, metrics, and income—while its 2023 report ‘Levers for Implementation’ outlined a blueprint for businesses to drive change.
More recently, in January 2025, the Agribusiness Transition Hub launched a practical guide using UK insights, led by Lloyds Banking Group, to increase cross-industry collaboration and public and private sector alignment to support efforts to scale regenerative agriculture.
With this innovative project, members of the Hub are now putting those insights into action, aiming to demonstrate how a united approach can accelerate adoption and unlock long-term sustainability for farmers worldwide.
www.mccain.com
The support options have been provided by the SMI members leading the work alongside other companies and initiatives operating in the region including ADM, British Sugar, Burgess Farms, Cranswick plc, Farm Carbon Toolkit, Frontier, Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs), Muntons, North Farm Livestock, Soil Association Exchange, Sustainable Food Trust and Wildfarmed.
The project will also test SAI Platform’s recently developed Regenerating Together Framework, which offers a globally aligned definition and farmer-centric approach for regenerative agriculture, as the basis for its measurement and evaluation.
The group intends to showcase learning from the project to other organisations aiming to accelerate regenerative farming around the world, with ambitions for it to be replicated in other regions, with more support for farmers added. A key area of opportunity will be leveraging the Sustainable Markets Initiative's network of over 250 CEOs globally, to unite the food, finance, and insurance sectors, facilitating the essential collaboration needed.
Charlie Angelakos, Vice President, Global External Affairs and Sustainability, McCain Foods, said: “We are proud to be spearheading this pioneering pilot project. McCain and other SMI members are already leading the charge in driving initiatives that incentivise and encourage the regenerative transition for farmers. But potatoes represent just one crop in the rotation and we know we can’t do this alone. Achieving scale requires a whole farm approach and collaboration across industry is essential to achieving that. This project will build on and unite existing initiatives, simplifying and making the transition a more viable and accessible choice for the farmer.”
The Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Agribusiness Hub was launched in 2020 with the aim of accelerating the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices within the industry, while ensuring positive partnerships with the world's farmers.
In 2022, its ‘Scaling Regenerative Farming: An Action Plan’ identified five key barriers to adoption—costs, policy, sourcing, metrics, and income—while its 2023 report ‘Levers for Implementation’ outlined a blueprint for businesses to drive change.
More recently, in January 2025, the Agribusiness Transition Hub launched a practical guide using UK insights, led by Lloyds Banking Group, to increase cross-industry collaboration and public and private sector alignment to support efforts to scale regenerative agriculture.
With this innovative project, members of the Hub are now putting those insights into action, aiming to demonstrate how a united approach can accelerate adoption and unlock long-term sustainability for farmers worldwide.
www.mccain.com
