Harvesting Resilience: Growing Sustainable Supply Chains

Agriculture is feeling the pressure. Nature and biodiversity are growing in importance in firms’ sustainability strategies, with two-thirds of respondents to the Verdantix 2025 ESG & Sustainability global corporate survey incorporating these issues into their strategies. Between 2023 and 2024, CDP disclosures for Biodiversity and Forests grew, respectively, by an enormous 265% and 334%. The impact of business on nature and biodiversity is being increasingly scrutinized. Simultaneously, the shift to a low-carbon economy is demanding more land use for biofuels, while severe and anomalous weather patterns disrupt crop cycles, and a growing global population demands nourishment.

Innovation and technical advancement are key to securing agricultural resources. As firms look to bolster the resilience of their supply chains, big brands are investing heavily in sustainable agricultural practices. We see:

• PepsiCo, in July 2025, announcing a partnership with ingredients and agriculture firm Cargill.
  Aimed at advancing regenerative agricultural practices across 240,000 acres in Iowa, the partnership forms part of PepsiCo’s target of supporting such practices across 10 million acres by 2030. It provides farmers with agronomic and technical guidance, as well as financial incentives, to reduce the risk of adopting new technologies and practices.
  

• McDonald’s, in September 2025, kickstarting a $200 million investment in regenerative agriculture.
  The Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative, launched alongside the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and a number of key McDonald’s suppliers, involves a seven-year investment plan to promote regenerative grazing practices, habitat restoration, and water and wildlife conservation across 4 million acres of cattle ranches.

Demand for agricultural safeguarding continues to attract the interest of investment managers and venture capital firms. In November 2025 Forbion, a life sciences venture capital firm, raised €200 million for its BioEconomy Fund I, to support sustainable technologies and the decarbonization of multiple industries, including food, agriculture and materials. In the same month, sustainable investment manager Mirova announced a $30 million investment in regenerative agriculture as part of its commitment to nature-based carbon strategies. Both developments indicate the financial power behind agricultural investment: agri-food and forestry funds raised almost $8 billion in the first half of 2025 alone.

Meanwhile, the agricultural software and services market is evolving, as providers seek to consolidate and boost their offerings. In September 2025 CropX Technologies, a digital agronomic solutions provider, acquired Acclym, an agricultural intelligence firm, to leverage its expertise in global agricultural supply chain sustainability.

To view more Verdantix research on nature and biodiversity, see Verdantix Buyer’s Guide: Nature Consulting Services.