Routes To More Roots: Whole Foods Backs Mad Ag’s Biodiversity Project

Natural grocery is supporting brands via new plant routes.

This week, Whole Foods Market and regenerative agriculture nonprofit Mad Agriculture unveiled a new biodiversity highway initiative that aims to reconstruct native ecosystems across American farmland, beginning in Wisconsin with plans to span across “several geographic regions.”

The idea first began to form after a $100,000 donation in 2024 from Whole Foods to support wilding efforts via the installation of 112 acres of prairie strips on four farms that were primarily supplying ingredients to brands sold on the natural grocer’s shelves. But that project planted the seeds for a much bigger, more impactful vision to rebuild on-farm biodiversity, developed by Mad Ag Wilding director Omar de Kok-Mercado.

“Instead of developing these isolated pockets of biodiversity, what if we connected them across this country, much like the interstate highway system that was developed back in the late 1950s?” said Elizabeth Candelario, Mad Ag’s chief strategy officer. “The science is quite clear: interconnectivity amplifies ecosystem benefits substantially. Wilding reframes ecosystem restoration as branded infrastructure – creating ‘biodiversity highways’ that reconnect fragmented agricultural landscapes, bolster pollination, improve water quality and soil health, and embed ecological value into food systems.”

The Mad Ag team then brought the idea to Whole Foods VP of Sustainability Caitlin Liebert and Principal Climate Advisor Nijia Zhou, who quickly came on board. This year, Whole Foods then upped its donation via a $500,000 matching grant that Mad Ag will raise against to bring in a total of $1 million to support 1,000 acres of additional wilding efforts.

The project has already secured a handful of CPG industry backers, including Bob’s Red Mill, Campbell’s and Applegate’s, among others. As Whole Foods continues to ramp up its support of regenerative agricultural efforts, what does this mean for the food industry? We sat down with Candelario to get all of the details.

What can the food industry learn from this model?

The Wilding initiative stands as a powerful example that the food industry can lead ecological infrastructure efforts, not just through their sourcing strategies but through capital investment that funds ecosystem-based project design and implementation. This model shows how CPGs, retailers, wholesalers, and others can shift from transactional supplier/vendor relationships to shared landscape stewardship.

These investments will enable mission-driven companies to align their brand values with demonstrable ecological impact. And by creating this matching funds opportunity that provides an on-ramp for lots of other companies to get involved, it sends a strong market signal that collaborative ecosystem reconstruction efforts are a vital strategy in creating resilience, strengthening supply chains, and addressing biodiversity loss and climate change.

What will Founding Member company participation look like at the ground level?

The focus over the next three years, and beyond, is about reconstructing our landscapes and reimagining how land and agriculture connect as part of a larger regenerative infrastructure – what we think of as the Wild Grid.

Over years, the Wild Grid will seek to interweave farms, watersheds, and other landscapes across the U.S., replacing fragmentation with ecological connectivity, that has the potential to: create climate-resilient habitats and landscapes, strengthen ecological function at scale, buffer built infrastructure and protect waterways, beautify rural landscapes, build ecological infrastructure and foster stewardship, as well as enable adaptive grazing and integrated perennial farm systems.

These Founding Member companies are the funders of this important work, and I suspect that we will be working together to share this incredible program with their customers and the public in general. We should all be celebrating their outstanding commitment and vision in helping us make Wilding a reality.

Is there a pathway for additional CPG brands to support these efforts? 

Yes! We are still looking for brands to contribute another $210,000 to make the $1 million goal. Mad Agriculture’s vision is to create a regenerative revolution in agriculture. Wilding is a key strategy to make that happen. We are proud to stand with Whole Foods, and all of the Founding Member companies, to redesign the very fabric of our agricultural landscapes. By investing in the Wild Grid, we are stitching resilience, beauty, and life back into the land. Wilding invites every brand, every farm, and every eater to be part of something bold, healing, and lasting. The opportunity is here. Let’s build the Wild Grid together!