Waitrose, Barclays, and Others to Launch Pilot for Scalable Regenerative Farming

‘Routes to Regen’ has been launched under the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), setting the stage for a transformative shift in UK agriculture. This innovative Lighthouse Project, backed by industry giants in food, finance, and insurance, seeks to make regenerative farming an ecological necessity and an attractive, financially viable business model.

The global food system is at a crossroads. Accounting for 30% of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and serving as the most significant driver of nature loss, agriculture must evolve. While regenerative farming is heralded as a solution, many farmers hesitate to adopt it due to economic risks and a fragmented support system—challenges identified by SMI’s Agribusiness Hub.

Set to roll out across the East of England in 2025, the project will turn research into real-world action. Industry leaders—McCain Foods, McDonald’s, Lloyds Banking Group, Waitrose & Partners, NatWest, Barclays, Aon, Tokio Marine Kiln, and Lloyd’s—have joined forces to remove barriers, simplify support systems, and create a clear pathway for farmers.

With The Royal Countryside Fund managing the program and Ceres Rural providing on-farm guidance, the initiative offers farmers a comprehensive ‘menu’ of support, including:

• Financial Support – Access to discounted capital, business planning advice, rotational crop supply opportunities, discounted seeds, weather insurance, and public funding guidance.

• Technical Assistance – Insights from agricultural research and trials, links to local livestock farmers, and discounted soil sampling to aid data-driven decision-making.

• Peer-to-Peer Learning – Networking opportunities through demonstration days and knowledge-sharing events.

By embracing a whole-farm approach, ‘Routes to Regen’ aims to de-risk the transition, boost adoption rates, and position regenerative agriculture as a mainstream, profitable farming model.

This initiative isn’t just about individual farms—it’s about reshaping the entire agricultural landscape. The program integrates contributions from a broad coalition of industry stakeholders, 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.

A crucial aspect of the project will be testing the SAI Platform’s ‘Regenerating Together Framework’, a globally aligned, farmer-centric approach to measuring and evaluating regenerative farming practices.

‘Routes to Regen’ isn’t just a UK initiative—it’s a blueprint for global transformation. The SMI’s network of 250+ CEOs worldwide is poised to amplify these efforts, driving collaboration between the food, finance, and insurance sectors. The goal? Scaling regenerative farming beyond the UK and accelerating adoption worldwide.

Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, said: “The Routes to Regen project builds on the significant work undertaken by the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Agribusiness Hub that identified that financial risk and a fragmented support system were key barriers to the adoption of regenerative farming practices. It exemplifies the power of cross-sector collaboration, namely that the SMI is uniquely positioned to facilitate and aims to demonstrate a new model for how industries can unite to drive sustainable change on a global scale.”

Keith Halstead, executive director of The Royal Countryside Fund, said: “At The Royal Countryside Fund, we know that farming in a sustainable way can often feel overwhelming for busy farmers who are facing relentless social, environmental and economic challenges. This new programme, Routes to Regen, was created with them in mind, making regenerative farming practices feel more achievable by bringing together resources and rewards from industry-leading businesses into one easy-to-access package, which will be discussed on the farm. We look forward to managing its implementation”.

Charlie Angelakos, vice president of global external affairs and sustainability at 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.”

Beth Hart, chief sustainability & social impact officer at McDonald’s, said: “Regenerative agriculture presents us with a critical opportunity to secure a long-term, sustainable future for farming. We’re continuing to test and learn, but we already know that implementing regenerative practices requires real and lasting partnerships across the supply chain to support and incentivise farmers to adopt these practices. We are delighted to be a part in developing and testing the SMI’s blueprint, helping to create a comprehensive menu of support for farmers that puts them in control. This initiative aligns with McDonald’s broader sustainability goals and our commitment to driving positive change in the food industry. We are excited about the potential to set a new model for industry collaboration through this pilot so we can inspire global adoption of regenerative farming practices.”

Andrew Walton, chief sustainability officer & chief corporate affairs officer of Lloyds Banking Group, said: “Engaging the food supply chain is critical to accelerating support for the agricultural sector as it transitions. As the largest finance provider to UK farms, we have a clear role to play in supporting farmers as they move to more sustainable practices. This new pilot is an important step in providing farmers with the tools they need to increase their resilience and profitability as they transition, in line with our purpose of helping Britain prosper”.

Ian Burrow, head of agriculture at NatWest, said: “We have a strong track record in supporting farmers, having financed and supported UK Agriculture for over 200 years. Our experience in collaborating right across the supply chain has helped create the right outcomes for farmers and the environment. This means we know that contributing to Routes to Regen, combining our expertise and support with that of others, will make the pilot a success and show farmers that regenerative methods can be attractive as a business proposition. We know this is a challenging time for farmers, so we are committed to fully supporting the sector”.

Dana Clouston, head of sustainable finance at Business Bank Barclays, said: “Barclays has supported UK farmers for over 280 years – working with them through many periods of change, and now is no different. The Routes to Regen project is an example of the systems-wide action needed across the whole value chain to support farmers innovate and adapt, and we look forward to working with partners through the SMI to help the UK’s farmers take meaningful steps to embed and scale regenerative practices”.

The Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Agribusiness Hub, established in 2020, has been at the forefront of driving regenerative agriculture adoption, ensuring that the transition benefits businesses and farmers globally.

In 2022, the Hub’s ‘Scaling Regenerative Farming: An Action Plan’ identified five major barriers hindering widespread adoption:

• Costs – Financial risks and upfront investment challenges.

• Policy – Lack of regulatory support and incentives.

• Sourcing – Difficulty integrating regenerative crops into supply chains.

• Metrics – Inconsistent measurement standards for impact and progress.

• Income Stability – Uncertain financial returns for transitioning farmers.

By 2023, the Hub released ‘Levers for Implementation’, a blueprint for businesses detailing actionable strategies to overcome these obstacles and drive systemic change.

Building on this momentum, January 2025 marked the launch of the Agribusiness Transition Hub’s practical guide, spearheaded by Lloyds Banking Group. This guide is a roadmap to scaling regenerative farming across the UK, focused on cross-industry collaboration and alignment between public and private sectors.

Now, with the launch of ‘Routes to Regen’, members of the Hub are turning theory into action—demonstrating how a coordinated, cross-sector approach can accelerate adoption and pave the way for a sustainable, resilient future for farmers worldwide.