Soil health, water availability and biodiversity are not abstract environmental concepts; they are the foundations of food security, writes McCain CSO Charlie Angelakos
The theme of this year’s World Environment Day (5 June) is climate action. But for those of us in the food and fresh produce sector, this cannot simply be another moment of reflection.
When it comes to climate action, food and farming are still not being treated with the emphasis they demand.
Too often, agriculture is framed primarily as part of the problem. That framing is incomplete and it risks slowing progress. Farming is not only exposed to climate risk; it is one of the most powerful levers we have to address it.
The reality is straightforward: the decisions made on farms today will determine the resilience of our food systems tomorrow. Soil health, water availability and biodiversity are not abstract environmental concepts; they are the foundations of global food security.
As our co-founder Harrison McCain once said: “If you don’t get the agronomy right, nothing else matters.” In today’s climate, that insight feels more relevant than ever. With rising climate volatility and geopolitical uncertainty, strengthening these foundations is no longer optional – it’s urgent.
A climate study across McCain’s potato supply chain reinforced the long-term risks climate volatility poses to yield, quality, and growing regions globally. It helped inform our decision to invest deeply in regenerative agriculture to strengthen both business and food system resilience.
At McCain, this belief underpins our commitment to regenerative agriculture. Not as a distant aspiration, but as an immediate shift in how food is grown.
We define regenerative agriculture as an ecosystem-based, outcomes-focused approach: restoring soil health, improving water efficiency, enhancing biodiversity and reducing reliance on synthetic inputs over time. Aligning on these goals is the easy part. The real challenge – and where progress is often too slow – is translating ambition into action at scale.
That requires change across the entire food system.
First, the transition cannot happen without farmers. Too many sustainability conversations remain disconnected from on-farm realities. Change only works when farmers are supported, incentivised and treated as true partners.
Working with more than 4,400 farmers globally, we have learned that progress depends on making change viable in practice, not just in theory. Our Regenerative Agriculture Framework, developed in partnership with farmers and external experts, provides a practical, scalable pathway forward.
It underpins our commitment to implement regenerative practices across 100 per cent of our potato acreage by 2030.
We’ve taken this a step further with our Farms of the Future network where scalable regenerative practices and technologies are tested in real-world commercial conditions at three advanced sites across the globe (Canada, South Africa, The UK) with these learnings distributed throughout our grower network. Growers can benefit from these learnings without carrying the full burden of experimentation themselves.
Second, we need to accelerate action where solutions already exist.
Water is a clear example. Improving water use efficiency is one of the most immediate ways to build resilience, particularly in high-risk regions.
Since 2017, we have improved water use efficiency by 19 per cent in water-stressed areas through innovations such as smart irrigation and collaboration across seven countries. Water stress-tolerant varieties now account for 22.8 per cent of our global potato crops.
These are not theoretical solutions. They are proven approaches, ready to be scaled.
However, no single company can deliver the change required on its own. True climate action demands collective responsibility, with food companies investing for the long term, retailers recognising the value of resilient supply chains, and policymakers creating the conditions that enable farmers to adopt new practices.
Encouragingly, 50 per cent of our farmers globally now have access to a regenerative agriculture contract or incentive, a critical step in enabling shifts at scale.
This World Environment Day, the message is clear: climate action in food and farming cannot wait, it must be rooted in the soil and scaled across entire systems.
