How wholesale companies can help scale up the regenerative movement

Regenerative agriculture, also known as ‘reg ag’, is a set of holistic and location-specific agricultural practices aimed at improving soil health and boosting nature. These practices vary from crop rotation and controlled livestock grazing systems to agroforestry, depending on the location and sector of the farmland.

“The main idea is to let the soil heal naturally, for instance by avoiding chemicals and heavy tillage,” Nicoline van Gerrevink explains. “This approach has many benefits: less nitrogen runoff, more carbon sequestration, increased biodiversity, better water retention, and improved nutritional values. Plus, it can boost economic results by creating a more climate-resilient system with fewer inputs needed. We support our customers in taking these steps to a more sustainable future by sharing our knowledge, our global networks and providing financing for innovations like precision technology and soil analysis tools. By promoting these practices, we contribute to a more resilient food system.”

Van Gerrevink sees the attention for regenerative agriculture growing every day. Recently, she represented Rabobank at the Regenerative Agriculture Summit Europe in Amsterdam, attended by 1,000 key players across the food chain, from farmer to retailer. Van Gerrevink participated to join several dialogues about the role that financial institutions can play in accelerating this movement.

“Our wholesale customers are investing in regenerative practices to achieve net-zero goals and avoid risks. With up to 40% of global soils degraded and more extreme weather events, they are facing challenges in sourcing primary products. Healthy soils hold more water, making them more resilient to droughts and floods. So, regenerative agriculture is seen as both a climate mitigation and adaptation strategy.”

Van Gerrevink continues: "There is a lot of private and public engagement on this topic, but scaling up is a challenge. We believe strong collaboration across the food value chain is essential. No single actor can do this alone, we need partnerships to build and accelerate this movement. That is why Rabobank is connecting food companies, distributors and farmers to work together and discover new solutions. This aligns with our cooperative mindset.”

A great example of value chain cooperation that van Gerrevink highlighted during the Summit is the successful partnership with McCain, a Canadian food company and Rabobank customer. McCain aims to make potato farming more sustainable. They source from over 3,500 growers worldwide, including around 400 in the Netherlands. Their common commitment: to adopt regenerative practices on their farms.

“The Dutch program started in 2023 with 34 potato growers, who collectively have 1,200 football fields of arable land for potatoes. These farmers receive expert advice and are monitored using key performance indicators (KPI’s). Together, they look at what can be improved and how to approach it best. When a farmer invests in a machine for precision farming, McCain and Rabobank step in with significant interest rate discounts. Our shared goal is a thriving agricultural sector, not just today, but for the next generation and beyond.”

“Recently, we teamed up with McCain in Australia and New Zealand to support local farmers who are willing to adopt regenerative agriculture. With our partner Agco Finance, we offer equipment at attractive rates and introduced new technologies to boost soil health and reduce carbon emissions. Thanks to our global network we were able to help McCain scale up this program.”

Another example is the four-year agreement potato processing company Aviko and Rabobank signed this month to support potato growers in adopting regenerative farming. This ‘Future-proof Cultivation’ program promotes regenerative practices and aims to ensure a sustainable income for potato growers. For the 2025 crop year, 70 growers in the Netherlands have joined pilot groups across different regions.

Van Gerrevink and the Food System Transition team aim to enable the change at farm level together, by guiding farmers, stacking incentives, and sharing technical knowledge throughout the value chain.

“We believe this is the best approach right now, but we are also seeking more scalable solutions with various customers and (public) institutes. To achieve this, we need to agree on frameworks and metrics first.”

A major challenge for financial institutions is the lack of common frameworks, metrics, and data.

“In the Dutch dairy sector, we rely heavily on data and tools like the Annual Nutrient Cycle Analysis (ANCA). Rabobank has also co-developed the Biodiversity Monitor and the Open Soil Index, methods that stimulate farmers to assess soil health by collecting and using data. We hope both will be widely adopted and we promote them in our partnerships.”

Van Gerrevink notes that many technical advisors are now stepping in, bridging the gap between agronomic advice for farmers and evidence-based reports for corporations. This collaboration is ‘crucial’ for advancing sustainable practices and improving overall farm management. Rabobank supports these advisors with knowledge, networks and investments.

“What we need is a system to classify farmers so that you can track the difference in credit risk. It's not just about farmers’ financial results. It is also about how they run their farms. We need to assess if they are resilient and future-proof, mitigating climate and transition risks. At the moment, credit and sustainability ratings for our farmer clients are separate scores. But going forward these scores should become integrated”, explains van Gerrevink.

“At Rabobank, we already provide incentives to farmers that are classified as sustainable frontrunners. If the public and private Food & Agri sectors agree on a shared vision with common KPI’s and standardized measurement, reporting, and verification, we can fairly recognize sustainable and nutritious food production.”