General Mills recently made the announcement that the company will be continuing to invest in regenerative agricultural practices. The company will be partnering with multiple organic and conventional farmers, as well as suppliers and farm advisors to implement regenerative ag practices on one million acres of farmland by 2030.
Regenerative agriculture constitutes a holistic type of farming, with methods aimed at protecting and enhancing natural resources as well as rural communities. The announcement further advances General Mills’ other efforts to improve soil health and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The company has already reduced its GHG emissions by 13 percent from 2010 to 2018, with an overall goal to reduce emissions 28 percent by 2025.
“We have been feeding families for over 150 years and we need a strong planet to enable us to feed families for the next 150 years,” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Mills, Jeff Harmening said in a news release. “We recognize that our biggest opportunity to drive positive impact for the planet we all share lies within our own supply chain, and by being a catalyst to bring people together to drive broader adoption of regenerative agriculture practices.”
Over the past four years, General Mills has invested more than $4 million in initiatives to advance soil health such as the development of the Regenerative Agriculture Self-Assessment tool to assist growers with understanding the value of soil health and biodiversity. The company has also partnered with The Nature Conservancy in the development of the Soil Health Roadmap, detailing methods for widescale implementation of practices designed to improve soil health.
Other efforts to encourage regenerative agricultural practices include the granting of $650,000 to be used for grower training through the Soil Health Academies, teaching farmers how to lower input costs through the implementation of soil health techniques, as well as building resiliency into the land.
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