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Regenerative agriculture One example of this approach is Walmart’ s work with rice farmers in the southern United States.“ We’ re working with the rice producers and policymakers in the state of Arkansas to help adopt more regenerative practices,” Kathleen says.
Alongside the environmental benefits in soil health and emissions reduction, this lowers the need for inputs – things like fertiliser, water and chemicals – while improving resilience and yields and lowering production costs over time, all of which, in turn, lead to societal benefits for the longevity of people in farming communities.
This integrated approach delivers value across the system. It also ensures that affordable products remain available to consumers. The rice produced through this programme is used in Walmart’ s Great Value range, its entry-level private label, highlighting how sustainability can be embedded into everyday products rather than confined to premium lines.“ You can get those benefits for the customer, for the business, for the producers, through one integrated approach to problem solving,” Kathleen explains.“ And that’ s the kind of thing that we’ re working toward across all the commodities.”
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