Biodiversity is the Heart of Regenerative Agriculture

A core foundation of regenerative agriculture includes the expansion of flowering cover crops, mass-planting of flowering hedgerows, installing wildflower field borders, and the restoration of critical natural habitats. Along with measurable increases in pollinator numbers on supplier farms, this work also accrues soil carbon, improves the drought resilience and water holding capacity of farm soils, and supports diverse assemblages of other sensitive and declining wildlife, such as song birds.

Xerces Society and food industry partners have planted an estimated 6+ billon flowering habitat seeds across thousands of acres in the U.S. and Canada. Xerces also works to expand pollinator technical knowledge in the public sector through a partnership with Xerces and the USDA. Through this effort, seven Xerces-USDA partner biologists and supporting staff in Natural Resource Conservation Service offices across the U.S. provided technical support in the enrollment of more than 330,000 acres of habitat in USDA conservation programs.

Extending this ongoing success, retailers such as Walmart, Whole Foods, Meijer, and others have increased their focus on pollinator conservation and have worked to prioritize pollinator conservation within their core businesses. The best example of this, is the Bee Better Certified eco-label, launched in 2017 under the guidance of the earlier General Mills Small Planet Foods Team. Today, more than 20,000-acres of Bee Better Certified farmland exists in North and South America, with products as diverse as fresh produce, wine, ice cream, and plant-based beverages displaying the seal.

About this Site 

To learn more about the Living Farms Project approach to biodiversity and regenerative agriculture, visit the Portfolio page. Background scientific literature and publications on habitat creation can be found on the Resources and Research page.

Visit the page on Bee Better Certification to learn more about market incentives for pollinator work.