Regenerative agriculture
Advancing farming practices that aim to restore the land
We work with farmers and partners across key sourcing regions (or supply sheds) to build healthy soil, improve water quality and resilience, and strengthen the ecosystems that make agriculture possible.
To continue making food for generations to come, we depend on the health of the land and farmers that grow it. Regenerative agriculture is how we work to strengthen it.
In 2019, we invested in this farmer-led movement and committed to advance regenerative agriculture on 1 million acres of farmland by 2030.
Understanding regenerative agriculture
Regenerative agriculture is a principles-based approach to farming and ranching that focuses on improving soil, water and long-term resilience. It's relevant to all types of farms, large and small, conventional and organic, and its principles have roots in Indigenous agricultural traditions that have sustained land for generations.
How we work at local and landscape levels
Our approach is centered on farmers and shaped by geography. We focus on key sourcing regions, what we call supply sheds, rather than narrowing our work to only the ingredients we source. Change at the landscape level benefits everyone who depends on that land, not just General Mills.
Within those regions, we provide farmers with practical support: one-on-one coaching, customized implementation plans, soil health testing and farmer networks. Transitioning to a new farming system carries real agronomic, economic and social challenges. Our programs are built around helping farmers work through all three.
We also partner with local organizations that understand their communities from the inside. The programming they run is designed and led locally, because a solution developed in Minneapolis rarely fits the realities of a farm in the Northern Plains or Southern Oklahoma.
The principles in practice
Regenerative agriculture isn't a single prescription. It's a set of principles applied in context:
- Minimize disturbance by reducing tillage and synthetic inputs
- Keep soil covered and roots living year-round
- Maximize diversity in plants and animals to build resilience
- Integrate livestock where possible to support healthy soil and plant systems
As these principles are implemented, the outcomes compound over time: healthier soil, greater biodiversity, stronger farm economics and more resilient ecosystems.
Water and soil health
Water runs through all of it. As soil health improves through regenerative practices, so does the land's ability to absorb and hold water, making farms more resilient to both drought and flood.
Better soil structure also means less runoff and reduced synthetic input application, which protects and helps restore clean water in the streams, rivers and lakes near farmland.
Restoring local water cycles is a targeted outcome of our regenerative agriculture work, not a secondary benefit.
Measuring results
We are advancing scientific understanding of outcomes and adoption of regenerative agriculture. Because measuring regenerative agriculture outcomes at scale often requires a prohibitive amount of time, manual field sampling, and expensive data analysis, we invest in research and provide thought leadership to enable better protocols and technology for measuring impact. In addition to farm and plot-level research, we deploy technologies like satellite imagery and modelling that allow us to quantify trends in regenerative agriculture adoption and environmental impacts across entire regions.
Our research partners include Colorado State University, the University of Manitoba, the Soil Health Institute and the Ecdysis Foundation, among others.
This work takes time, but it’s essential to build a food system that can feed people for generations to come.
See our impact in action
Explore our regenerative agriculture initiatives, measurable progress, and detailed reports.
Related Documents
Frequently asked questions
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What is regenerative agriculture?A principles-based approach to farming and ranching focused on improving soil, water and biodiversity, while strengthening the long-term resilience of farms and the communities around them. Regenerative agriculture aims to actively restore the land for overall health and resilience of the farm ecosystem.
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Why is regenerative agriculture important to General Mills?
Agriculture accounts for nearly half of our greenhouse gas footprint.
The health of the land our ingredients come from is directly tied to our ability to make food over the long term, with regenerative agriculture practices also fostering connections to healthy forests and clean water.
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How do you work with farmers?Through voluntary programs designed to meet farmers where they are on their journey. We fund programs that include coaching, soil health testing, customized plans and peer networks, along with partnerships with local organizations that understand their regions and communities.
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What’s your goal for regenerative agriculture?We’ve committed to advance regenerative agriculture on 1 million acres of farmland by 2030.
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How do you measure the impact of that work?
Through research, satellite data and partnerships with universities and scientific organizations to understand what’s changing on the ground over time.
Our investments also enable a multiplier effect. For instance, General Mills’ investment with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is matched at a 2.1 ratio by the National Resources Conservation Service and local conservation organizations. Our leadership has also led to collaboration with other companies and acceleration of regenerative agriculture in shared landscapes.
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