Improved water quality, reduced soil erosion, better crop yields, lower carbon footprint – the reasons to equip farmers with the tools they need to adopt sustainable agriculture practices are clear.

Another reason: as the world’s population continues to rise, the increased demand for food production places greater stress on farmland and the natural resources needed to crops more sustainably.

At The Nature Conservancy (TNC), we apply science, practice, and policy to develop practical solutions for sustainable food production. We work with companies – along with governments, farmers, fishers, local communities, and environmental and humanitarian organizations – to implement solutions on the ground. It takes these joint efforts to achieve our conservation goals at scale.

TNC and partners like Kellogg Company work to empower farmers with the resources they need to meet these increasing demands, while safeguarding their livelihoods and protecting our lands and waters. It’s a win-win for people and nature.

Today, we have extra cause for celebrating World Environment Day, thanks to an expanded collaboration with Kellogg to support TNC’s sustainable farm efforts. Through this gift from Kellogg, we have the potential to reach farmers with funds and technical assistance to implement conservation practices. Such practices – including cover cropping, conservation tillage, nutrient management, vegetative buffers, irrigation efficiency and wetland restoration – can enable farmers to increase crop productivity and reduce input use while making a positive impact on soil health, water quality, and aquatic habitat in local streams and wetlands.

Sustainability is at the heart of an effort between TNC and the Kellogg Company to incentivize conservation agriculture practices among corn, wheat and rice farmers in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. We expect the 3-year project to impact 25,000 acres of land in Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio, with the potential to indirectly improve up to 2 million acres over time. This work demonstrates how agriculture can contribute to improved environmental outcomes, safeguard communities and protect our lands and waters.

Earlier this week, I participated in the Sustainable Brands conference with Kellogg. The company announced its commitment to provide Better Days to 3 billion people—including farmers.  Together we can ensure a sustainable future for people and nature, and will ramp up conservation efforts, reach and empower more farmers from the ground up.

TNC is proud to be a recipient of Kellogg support and work with Kellogg to reach its sustainability goals through Kellogg’s® Better Days global signature cause. We at TNC also believe in addressing the interconnected issues of food security, climate resiliency and wellbeing for people, communities and the planet.

Kellogg’s support of TNC is an investment in our planet.

We all know we cannot achieve our goals alone. It’s critically important that we join forces to drive both scale and reach. TNC and Kellogg have the power to help more farmers. It’s a combination that makes for a healthier bottom line – and a healthier environment for us all.