Janice R. Andrews
October 17, 2023 — General Mills, Walmart, and Sam’s Club have unveiled an ambitious project to promote regenerative agriculture on 600,000 acres of U.S. farmland by 2030. This is a revolutionary collaboration. The goal of this collaboration is to change farming methods on land where General Mills obtains essential ingredients for goods that are offered at Sam’s Club and Walmart. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will provide financing for the project’s initial phase, which will concentrate on a variety of crops, including wheat, throughout the Northern and Southern Great Plains.
General Mills’ Group President of North America Retail, Jon Nudi, highlighted the importance of the partnership: “We will work closely with Walmart and Sam’s Club through this partnership to help regenerate the acres of land in the key regions where we source ingredients for our shared business.” We are thrilled about the chance to work with our retailers and farmer partners to more responsibly deliver our products—Pillsbury chilled dough and Blue Buffalo pet food and treats—to Walmart shelves.
Regenerative agriculture has the ability to mitigate climate change and promote favorable consequences for the environment and society, as acknowledged by General Mills and Walmart. Their dedication to using their industry connections to effect significant change is demonstrated by this partnership. The seven states in which the project will be implemented are North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Minnesota, which is home to General Mills.
By giving local organizations financial support, the NFWF will play a critical role in augmenting the coaching and educational resources required to advance regenerative agriculture. The program’s dual goals are to boost the adoption of regenerative farming methods and increase farmers’ yield resilience through improvements to soil health, watersheds, biodiversity, climate resilience, and economic stability.
“We’re committed to making the everyday choice the more sustainable choice for consumers,” said John Laney, Executive Vice President of Food at Walmart U.S. This partnership serves as an illustration of how we are implementing deliberate interventions throughout our value chain to promote regenerative agriculture and guarantee the long-term supply of these vital food items.
In addition to helping both businesses achieve their sustainability objectives, this cooperative effort serves as a model for such cross-industry endeavors in the future. It helps Walmart achieve its aim of managing or restoring at least 50 million acres of land sustainably by the same year, in partnership with the Walmart Foundation, and puts General Mills on course to surpass its target of encouraging regenerative agriculture on one million acres by 2030.
