Looking ahead: The future of regenerative agriculture

The insights gained through Midwest Row Crop Collaborative’s partnership with HSBC Bank USA over the past five years laid the groundwork for what comes next—the opportunity to scale.

One of the greatest strengths of this funding opportunity was support for place-based projects while measuring progress across a shared set of metrics and learning questions. This dual approach allowed us to understand what works at a local level and what is required to scale across a region. Our members are developing integrated strategies, supporting data-driven, values-based engagement, and developing new leaders and supply chains in service to producers and a robust agricultural system.

Integrated strategies

Each of our partners tested innovative approaches aligned with pathways in MRCC’s Theory of Change. These programs revealed a clear trend: the first three pathways—conservation finance, de-risking practice adoption, and agricultural network engagement—are not only foundational but deeply interconnected. These elements work best when implemented in tandem and when implementing partners are equipped with the time and resources to build trust with farmers and adapt implementation strategies to local needs.

Our partners successfully supported farmers through conservation programs, but participation growth grew slowly or plateaued in the first few years. Implementers reported that the producers who joined were enthusiastic and satisfied—but they represented a small subset of willing, early adopters. The next tier of producers—the “middle adopters”—remained difficult to reach, despite the presence of incentives, technical assistance, and trusted advisors.

Focused producer engagement

The launch of the Reach Farmers Faster program—a collaboration between Environmental Initiative, MRCC, and Trust In Food™—builds on early insights from the HSBC-funded work. The first phase of this project sought to crack the code of farmer engagement by understanding the human dimensions behind practice adoption. The team prepared focused outreach using insights about producer values, motivations, and barriers—ultimately increasing engagement rates by two to five times the industry benchmark.

Building on that success, Reach Farmers Faster is scaling this work to evaluate the cost, time, and effort required for conservation organizations to identify, engage, enroll, and retain farmers in conservation programs. This will be the first industry-wide benchmark of recruitment effort and will provide critical data to inform smarter investments from both philanthropic, government, and supply chain partners.

“We know that to drive lasting change, we need to meet farmers where they are and invest in the human infrastructure behind conservation,” said Deborah Carter McCoy, senior director, Environmental Initiative. “This work gives us a clearer picture of what it truly takes—time, talent, and trust—and helps us make more effective investments aligned with the real-world challenges our implementing partners face.”

The Midwest Row Crop Collaborative aims to create a more efficient and equitable system for bringing new farmers into the fold—not just the most enthusiastic early adopters, but the many farmers who are interested but constrained by time, risk, or lack of information. By understanding what is needed to drive adoption and retention, MRCC members can better align funding models and program design to accelerate the transition toward regenerative agriculture at scale.

Developing new systems

This work also connects to MRCC’s fourth pathway: Creating demand for sustainably grown commodities. While the first three pathways build the foundation for adoption, demand-side engagement is what ensures that practice adoption is a viable, market-based opportunity for farmers long-term That’s why we’re excited to be launching the MRCC Regenerative Agriculture Leadership Cohort, a new effort that brings together food and agriculture companies to build organizational capacity, align industry best practices, and co-create projects that drive demand for regeneratively grown commodities.

The cohort will leverage MRCC’s learnings from the last five years and focus on converting insights into action—supporting supply chain leaders in designing collaborative, scalable regenerative agriculture initiatives.

HSBC’s investment demonstrated what is possible when partners across the supply chain collaborate on real, practical solutions. As we look ahead, MRCC remains committed to building an agricultural system designed for farmers, ecosystems, and supply chains. This means continuing to invest in the people, partnerships, and programs that make transformation possible—and ensuring that every dollar, every decision, and every connection brings us closer to that shared vision. Thank you, HSBC, for your partnership in this journey.

Want to learn more about MRCC’s impact? Contact Jenny Kramm to set up a conversation!