Whole Foods Market and Mad Agriculture announce national biodiversity highway initiative

Whole Foods Market and Mad Agriculture, a Colorado-based nonprofit that helps farmers transition to regenerative ag, recently announced a collaboration to launch a national biodiversity highway initiative aimed at reconstructing native ecosystems across American farmland.

The program seeks to create a connected highway of climate-resilient habitats restoring biodiversity, improving soil and water health, and strengthening the long-term resilience of the food system. By linking farms, watersheds, and wild areas, the highway will reduce fragmentation, support pollinators and wildlife, and help buffer communities from climate impacts like flooding and erosion.

Jason Buechel, CEO of Whole Foods Market, said the initiative “is about rethinking how we care for the land and support the people who grow our food. As the program expands, it will forge a more connected, resilient landscape, supporting biodiversity and more sustainable farming for generations to come.”

Omar de Kok-Mercado, director of wilding at Mad Agriculture, said that the project “is laying the groundwork for a new kind of agriculture.” He added, “We’re not restoring the past—we’re engineering the future, one corridor at a time.”

As part of the initiative, Whole Foods Market has pledged up to $500,000 in matching funds to catalyze $1 million in collective investment from food system stakeholders in 2025. The program aims to cultivate a 1,000-acre biodiversity highway and invites Founding Member organizations to co-invest in the ecosystem reconstruction efforts. Companies committed include Applegate, Bob’s Red Mill, The Campbell’s Company, New Belgium Brewing, OLIPOP, UNFI, and Yogi Tea, among others.

Organic & Non-GMO Insights August 2025