General Mills to advance regenerative agriculture practices to grow sustainable supply chain

General Mills has announced that it will advance regenerative agriculture practices on one million acres of farmland by 2030, as part of a major supply chain environmental responsibility initiative.

The leading global food company, with a 2018 revenue of US $17bn, will partner with organic and conventional farmers, suppliers and trusted farm advisers in key regions to drive the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices.

“We have been feeding families for more than 150 years and we need a strong planet to enable us to feed families for the next 150 years,” said Jeff Harmening, chairman and chief executive officer of General Mills. “We recognise 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.”

SEE ALSO:

• Read the March issue of Supply Chain Digital

• Walmart introduces new plastic waste reduction commitments for US private brand suppliers

• The Supply Chain Solutions Center: The "Netflix" of supply chain sustainability solutions

• Sappi Limited joins Sustainable Apparel Coalition to boost supply chain sustainability

• Smithfield Foods sees 80% of its grain supply chain partners achieve greater sustainability

The company has partnered with Kiss the Ground, a non-profit organisation, to support farmer training and coaching through Soil Health Academies. Through this, growers will develop their skills in order to increase farm profitability, build resiliency into the land and decrease input costs using soil health practices.

The latest announcement follows General Mills’ commitment to improve soil health and to reduce its absolute GHG emissions by 28% across its full value chain by 2025. General Mills reported it is nearly halfway to that goal, with its GHG emissions footprint down 13 percent in 2018 compared to 2010.

“Investing in soil health and regenerating our soils has numerous benefits including water infiltration, reduced pest pressure, resilience to unpredictable weather, and reducing greenhouse gasses,” said Lauren Tucker, executive director of Kiss the Ground. “We have an opportunity to not just sustain our natural resources, but to restore them for generations to come. We can only advance the adoption of these practices that benefit people and the planet if we partner with and support our farmers.