McDonald’s USA commits $5 million to collaboration accelerating climate-smart farming solutions

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

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (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 audacious 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.

Agricultural research and data are fundamental to this initiative. 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.

“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 FFAR’s Executive Director Dr. Sally Rockey. “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 progressive 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. 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." says Marion Gross, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer, North America, at McDonald’s.

While the agriculture industry accounts for 9.9 percent of GHG emissions in the United States and roughly 24 percent 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, CEO, USFRA. “But farmers and ranchers cannot do it alone. This effort requires a response that rivals the magnitude of the challenge we are overcoming.”

FFAR, USFRA and WFO each have a proven history of activating communities to drive meaningful change. AgMission leverages FFAR’s public-private partnerships and extensive scientific reach to fund research alongside USFRA’s ability to mobilize farmers, ranchers and other key decision makers across the U.S. food and agriculture sector and WFO’s ability to help expand these efforts globally.