Report from executives of international agribusiness firms warns farming must change or risk ‘destroying the planet’

A report from the Sustainable Markets Initiative (a network of global CEOs focused on climate issues established by King Charles III) insists that farming practices must change, and change quickly," reports Dominic Rushe of The Guardian: "Food companies and governments must come together immediately to change the world’s agricultural practices or risk 'destroying the planet'," the report said. The report studied potatoes, rice, and wheat crops.

While the report recognized some progress, it insists that the changes have not been fast enough, and "must triple by 2030 for the world to have any chance of keeping temperature rises under 1.5C, a level that if breached, scientists argue, will unleash even more devastating climate change on the planet," Rusche writes.

The report is signed by executives of Bayer, Mars, McCain Foods, McDonald’s, Mondēlez, Olam, PepsiCo, Waitrose and others. "They represent a potent political and corporate force, affecting the food supply chain around the world," reports Rusche. "They are also, according to critics, some of those most responsible for climate mismanagement with one calling the report 'smoke and mirrors' and unlikely to address the real crisis."

“We are at a critical tipping point where something must be done,” said task force chair and outgoing Mars CEO Grant Reid: "The interconnection between human health and planetary health is more evident than ever before. . . . It won’t be easy, but we have got to make it work."

Agriculture is the world's largest industry, employing around 1 billion people. It is facing a multitude of stressors including post pandemic supply-chain issues, inflation and extreme weather. The need for deep change in farming practices "also comes amid mounting skepticism about promises to change from companies that have contributed to climate change," writes Rusche.

Devlin Kuyek, a researcher at Grain, a non-profit organization that works to support small farmers, said it was increasingly difficult for big agricultural and food companies to ignore climate change, “but I don’t think any of these companies – say a McDonald’s – has any commitment to curtail the sales of highly polluting products. I don’t think PepsiCo is going to say the world doesn’t need Pepsi.”