Harvesting resilience: farmers as architects of food security

That egg you’re about to eat, do you know where it came from? What about that avocado? Or toast? Each piece of food that makes it to your plate has a story to tell—a farmer who grew it and navigated a complex, high-pressure global system to ensure you can start your day with nourishing food grown sustainably. But these stories are becoming increasingly nuanced, showcasing farmers’ entrepreneurial spirit as they respond to evolving challenges and opportunities. 

More than 600m family farmers grow four-fifths of the world’s food and sustain 2.5bn livelihoods.¹ Without them, there is no food system. Yet farmers are facing growing complexities. Climate volatility impacts fields, shifting diets reshape demand and global supply chains must adapt to trade disruptions and geopolitical tensions. Despite these pressures, farmers continue to adapt, helping to ensure ongoing food security. From the heartland to the sea, they are innovating in real time and finding ways to grow more with less, to help feed more people with fewer resources and to keep the world’s dinner tables full.

Building on an already resilient food system

Today’s food system has already demonstrated its resilience in the face of global disruptions. To further strengthen this adaptability, farmers are embracing more sustainable practices such as regenerative agriculture, including cover cropping, minimal tillage, rotating grazing, and nature-based methods. These techniques help to enhance existing farm practices by improving soil health, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and farm profitability.² Importantly, many of these practices were initially adopted by farmers pursuing economic benefits, demonstrating that short-term profitability and long-term sustainability can align.

“We need perspective on the magnitude of what farmers do,” says Roger Watchorn, who leads Cargill’s global agricultural supply chain and trading business. Farmers are responding to demand for trillions of calories for billions of people, even as they navigate volatile supply chains impacted by droughts, floods, pests and geopolitics. According to Mr Watchorn, whose career at Cargill spans three decades, farmers and the broader food system have successfully adapted to growing complexities and shifting supply chains. 

He highlights farmers’ entrepreneurial mindset, emphasising that innovation and practices must be tailored to regional realities. “Solutions suitable for a soybean farmer in the US differ greatly from those for a smallholder cocoa grower in West Africa,” he notes. “Farmers need economically viable and culturally relevant solutions specific to their operations.”

Innovative technologies also play a vital role alongside regenerative practices. Predictive analytics, advanced telemetry and precision agriculture tools enable farmers to make precise, data-driven decisions. These technologies increase productivity, optimise resource use and further enhance the resilience of an already-robust global food system.

Harnessing innovation and data to drive efficiency 

Sam Krouse, co-chief executive of MPS Egg Farms, oversees one of America’s largest family-owned egg farms. The business sits at the nexus of volatile feed costs and changing consumer and regulatory demands.

Digital systems track feed efficiency, hen wellbeing and grain supplies. The real breakthrough lies in aggregating data and insights at scale across its nationwide flocks. “We need to learn from every one of our laying hens all across the country,” says Mr Krouse. “And tools like Flockwise^TM, REVEAL^TM Layers and Galleon^TM allow us to aggregate all of that data and then put it to good use. “So, if there's a health challenge, for instance, we can see that. We can see the trendline dipping or spiking over time, giving us clues as to what we need to do to address that challenge.”

That shift from anecdote to analytics marks a profound change in how farming decisions are made. By turning countless data points on water and feed intake and egg production into actionable insight, MPS can spot problems earlier, adjust nutrition precisely and keep hens healthier. Improved flock performance translates into resilience against volatile feed markets and disease outbreaks, boosting both sustainability and profitability.

But even the best dashboards cannot buffer farmers from volatile feed prices or health shocks. Mr Krouse believes that what makes resilience possible is the combination of insight and partnership.

Turning practices into progress on the farm

Brazil’s Cerrado, considered the world’s agricultural frontier, is a key area for food and agriculture innovation. Farmer Erick Van Den Broek lives in Rio Verde in Goiás state, which sits in the vast tropical ecoregion. His family has been using no-till farming since the 1990s, and in 2007 added organic composting, biological pest control and cover crops. A combination of farming methods has allowed him to reduce insecticides and fungicides, chemicals that control pests and disease in plants, by up to 85%. 

Infrared monitoring, telemetry and field applications put precision farming into practice. By tracking machinery, soil and crops in real time, telemetry supplies data on productivity, fuel use and pest risks, enabling weekly, data-driven decisions that boost efficiency, Mr Van Den Broek explains. “Brazilian agriculture is constantly evolving and part of this evolution is regenerative agriculture, where we can explore the benefits of microorganisms,” he says. Regenerative methods improve soil water retention and crop root strength, helping to mitigate the impact of harsher droughts and more intense rainfall.

Mr Van Den Broek participates in Regenera Cerrado, a research-led programme sponsored by Cargill in conjunction with other academic institutions. This programme includes practical insights from farmers across the state of Goiás to promote regenerative agriculture as a scalable model for more sustainable soybean and corn production in the country. The initiative connects farmers with scientists and institutions, sharing knowledge through customised, farmer-focused solutions tailored to local landscapes. Preliminary results from 12 farms spanning 1,600 hectares are pointing to better soil health, easier pest management and lower production costs.³

Empowering farmers as key partners

Farmers, particularly small and mid-sized ones, face unique regional challenges and require solutions tailored to their local realities, such as affordable financing, regionally relevant agronomic support and reliable access to markets. Each farm must find its own set of tailored solutions. According to Mr Watchorn, it's critical to ensure farmers have a seat at the table: “Farmers are entrepreneurs and know what's right for their farms. They need support to synthesise information they're already receiving, as well as access to additional data that helps them anticipate what's ahead.”   They also need support from companies across the food system that share risk through supply-chain finance and training in regenerative methods. Companies like Cargill play a key role in enabling farmers to adjust agronomic practices to gain both resilience and entry into new, premium markets. Ultimately, no solution is credible without farmers themselves. They must be recognised as partners, not passive recipients, says Mr Watchorn.