Shaping the future of sustainable farming.
With our roots on the farm, we believe agriculture can, and must, be a core part of the solution for the way we grow food. We are putting sustainability at the heart of operations to help strengthen food and agricultural systems to safeguard our future.
At McCain, taking action means being smart and sustainable in the way we grow our raw agricultural ingredients and produce our products. It’s a process that starts with the soil and our commitment to regenerative agriculture.
Working directly with our 3,500 farmers, McCain continues to build farm resilience, enhance soil health and yields in the long term, drive innovation and provide technical and financial assistance to our farming partners to implement and develop regenerative agriculture practices.
Key 2023 Highlights.
28% of our global acreage ‘engaged’ and 51% ‘onboarded’ on our Regenerative Agriculture Framework
Launched partnerships with innovative financial solutions to support regenerative agriculture
Water-stress tolerant potato varieties increased to 21.9% of total portfolio
More than 23,500 hours of training delivered to farmers
Water-use efficiency improved by 9.4% (in water-stressed regions)
Smart & Sustainable Farming Spotlight.
Water-stress tolerant varieties.
As part of our commitment to improve our water efficiency in water-stressed regions, we constantly seek to trial water-stress tolerant potato varieties across all our regions, in order to identify where varieties can be used to improve our resilience against climate change. To do so, we compare the yield and quality obtained from a water-stress tolerant variety to a standard variety, grown in drought conditions across multiple years.
Advancing Regenerative Agriculture.
Given the increasingly unpredictable climate, the shift towards smart and sustainable farming practices and the use of renewable energy on farms is vital. Our Regenerative Agriculture Framework has been developed to support best practice, based around six key principles.
McCain Farm of the Future: Growing Crops And Restoring Soil Health | RE:TV
Potatoes are the world's third most important food crop after rice and wheat, and are grown, globally. However, intensive farming has caused soil degradation, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss. To tackle these issues and feed the growing global population, potato farming needs a planet-friendly approach that restores ecosystems and reduces emissions. At McCain Foods, we are leading the way by reimagining the way we grow a potato to secure supply and ensure the long term resilience of farmlands through our Farms of the Future initiative. Merging cutting-edge research and regenerative practices, we believe innovative approaches can revolutionize farming. Since its launch 3 years ago, the project has seen tangible benefits of increased yields, carbon sequestration, soil protection, and biodiversity enhancement.
Farms of
the Future.
We are investing in three McCain Foods owned and operated Farms of the Future to advance sustainable farming practices and explore innovative agricultural technologies.
We currently have two active Farms of the Future in Canada and Africa.
Our Smart & Sustainable Farming Commitments.
Read more
in our
Sustainability Report.
