McDonald's USA commits $5 million to implement climate-smart farming solutions

AgMission, a global collaboration to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in agriculture, announced today that McDonald's USA has partnered to develop and implement climate-smart farming solutions with a $5 million commitment over the next five years.

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), and the World Farmers' Organisation (WFO) established AgMission to unlock agriculture's potential to reduce GHG emissions. This initiative ultimately aims to make the agriculture sector net negative for GHG emissions. To achieve this goal, AgMission brings farmers, ranchers, and scientists together to co-create science-based solutions that can be rapidly deployed, increasing on-farm resiliency while mitigating the impacts of climate change, say AgMission officials.

Agricultural research and data are fundamental to this initiative, say AgMission officials. While this research is expanding, the existing work requires broader coordination and collaboration. Integrated, interoperable data is critical to coordinating this research and accelerating adaptation and adoption of climate-smart solutions that reduce GHG emissions. The resulting climate-smart practices will be both economically and environmentally sustainable, while reducing emissions, say AgMission officials.

"Climate change threatens our environment, food security as well as farmer and ranchers' livelihoods. We are elated that McDonald's sees the value of AgMission's approach and is partnering with us on this unprecedented initiative," said Sally Rockey, FFAR's executive director, in a news release. "AgMission's expansive, coordinated effort builds on existing research to coordinate agriculture's climate-change response, connecting data from one part of the world that could benefit another."

McDonald's commitment to AgMission exemplifies the actions the business is taking to help deliver net zero emissions across its global operations by 2050. The restaurant chain joins Pepsico as a founding partner of AgMission.

"We're striving to feed more people in increasingly sustainable ways by creating a food system in which communities, animals and the planet thrive," said Marion Gross, McDonald's senior vice president and chief supply chain officer, North America, in a news release. "It's been proven time and again that real action comes through convening of partners around steady science-based strategies. We're proud to contribute to the critically important work of AgMission and its partners to help measurably reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve supply chain resilience and enable regenerative agriculture."

While the agriculture industry accounts for 9.9% of GHG emissions in the United States and roughly 24% globally, it is the only sector with the natural potential to be net negative for GHG emissions.

"Soil and farmlands already sequester one hundred more times carbon than is emitted in a year," said Erin Fitzgerald, USFRA CEO, in a news release. "But farmers and ranchers cannot do it alone. This effort requires a response that rivals the magnitude of the challenge we are overcoming."