‘Routes to Regen’, an innovative farm Lighthouse Project, has today been launched by members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) to demonstrate how regenerative farming can be made into a more attractive business proposition for UK farmers when supported by cross-sector collaboration.
The project, which will take place in the East of England throughout 2025, aims to address the environmental challenges posed by the global food system, which is responsible for approximately 30 per cent of human-produced greenhouse gas emissions and remains the biggest driver of nature loss.
While the benefits of regenerative farming are well established, research by the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Agribusiness Hub has found that economic risk and a fragmented support system often deter farmers from making the transition.
This project will see leading food and finance businesses including McCain Foods, McDonald's, Lloyds Banking Group, Waitrose & Partners, NatWest, Barclays, Aon, Tokio Marine Kiln and Lloyd’s, turn insights from this research into action.
It aims to demonstrate a united approach in tackling barriers to transition by consolidating and simplifying support mechanisms into a clear and accessible framework for farmers alongside expert support to help farmers select the best solutions for their unique business.
The project will be programme-managed by The Royal Countryside Fund, with on-farm advice from Ceres Rural and will provide participating farmers with a ‘menu’ of support such as:
- Financial support: Awareness of the discounted capital available, business planning advice, opportunities to supply rotational crops, discounted seeds for cover crops and pollinators, weather insurance, advice to make best use of public funding schemes.
- Technical support: Research and trial insights, connections to local livestock farmers, assistance with measurement/data collection such as discounted soil sampling.
- Peer-to-Peer support: Opportunities to attend demonstration days and knowledge sharing events.
By taking a whole farm approach, the programme aims to reduce risk for the farmer, increase adoption rates, and make regenerative agriculture a more viable and attractive choice for farmers.
The support options have been provided by the SMI members leading the work alongside other companies and initiatives operating in the region 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.
The project will also test SAI Platform’s recently developed Regenerating Together Framework, which offers a globally aligned definition and farmer-centric approach for regenerative agriculture, as the basis for its measurement and evaluation.
The group intends to showcase learning from the project to other organisations aiming to accelerate regenerative farming around the world, with ambitions for it to be replicated in other regions, with more support for farmers added.
A key area of opportunity will be leveraging the Sustainable Markets Initiative's network of over 250 CEOs globally, to unite the food, finance, and insurance sectors, facilitating the essential collaboration needed.
Charlie Angelakos, Vice President, Global External Affairs and Sustainability, 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.”
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 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, 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 farm. We look forward to managing its implementation”.
Beth Hart, Chief Sustainability & Social Impact Officer, 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 partnership 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, 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, 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, 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”.
Donald Lunan, CEO, Landscape Enterprise Networks, said: “Landscape Enterprise Networks is built on facilitating collaborative partnerships to deliver positive outcomes for farmers, businesses and communities- helping to create vibrant, resilient and productive landscapes.
"We are very excited to be part of the 'Routes to Regen'; initiative with SMI and their partners. We look forward to sharing our experience of working across the East of England and supporting more farmers and businesses on their regen journey”.
Andy Cato, Co-Founder, Wildfarmed, said, “Being part of Routes to Regen is a fantastic way to speed the transition to nature based regenerative agriculture. Much has been learnt in building our Wildfarmed community of growers and in the fields from their collective experiences.
"Much also from finding ways to give as many high street consumers as possible access to food grown by these farmers. So we’re delighted to support Routes to Regen members who might benefit from these experiences, and to learn from theirs.
"We know just how hard it is to challenge the inertia of a complex and entrenched food system and to redefine what the current system values. The only way to do so is through collaboration and this project is doing a brilliant job in enabling that.”
Joseph Gridley, CEO, Soil Association Exchange, said: "Farmers need clear, practical support to transition to regenerative practices, and this pilot is a significant step toward making that happen.
"At Soil Association Exchange, we’re excited to contribute our data-driven approach, coupled with independent advice and access to new funding opportunities, to help farmers make informed, confident decisions that enhance both their profitability and the environment”.
The Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Agribusiness Hub was launched in 2020 with the aim of accelerating the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices within the industry, while ensuring positive partnerships with the world's farmers.
In 2022, its ‘Scaling Regenerative Farming: An Action Plan’ identified five key barriers to adoption—costs, policy, sourcing, metrics, and income—while its 2023 report ‘Levers for Implementation’ outlined a blueprint for businesses to drive change.
More recently, in January 2025, the Agribusiness Transition Hub launched a practical guide using UK insights, led by Lloyds Banking Group, to increase cross-industry collaboration and public and private sector alignment to support efforts to scale regenerative agriculture.
With this innovative project, members of the Hub are now putting those insights into action, aiming to demonstrate how a united approach can accelerate adoption and unlock long-term sustainability for farmers worldwide.
