Helping to Enable the Farming of Tomorrow

Through funding education and hands-on experience, we’re helping young people forge a path into the world of agriculture.

We’re taking steps to help encourage more young people to pursue farming so we can continue sourcing quality ingredients for the menu items our customers love while helping build resilient supply chains. Here’s what some of that looks like in practice.

Hands-On Experience in the U.K.

Bringing new perspectives to farming with Progressive Young Farmers

In 2012, McDonald’s UK and Ireland (UK&I) launched Progressive Young Farmers – a program that offers undergraduate students a firsthand experience of working in the agricultural sector. Participants spend time on farms that supply McDonald’s, in supply chain operations and in restaurants, to explore the full range of career paths the industry has to offer. 

And the program isn’t just about getting more young people into agriculture; it’s about building a more resilient sector with a future talent pipeline. 

Funding Urban–Rural Connections in France

Supporting farmers through education and research

If we want to encourage young people to take on farming roles, we believe we need to invest in new solutions to engage them. That’s why, in France, we’re supporting the Jeunes Agriculteurs union’s Terres Innovantes donation fund. Created to forge connections between urban and rural communities, the fund invests in developing new models of educational and inclusive events that bring young people together to exchange ideas and form social links.

Our work in France aims to explore the environmental impacts of agriculture too. Through the Pâturond research project, we’re joining together with beef suppliers and farmers to explore any potential impacts of different grazing techniques on the health and productivity of grasslands.

Knowledge Transfer in Germany

Facilitating collective thinking with Farmers for McDonald’s

The best ideas are created when people work together. That’s the thinking behind the Farmers for McDonald’s program in Germany, a platform tailor-made to connect farmers and enable knowledge sharing throughout our supply chain. Through the program, producers and suppliers are empowered, within antitrust guidelines, to swap ideas, test solutions and pilot technologies that can help them revolutionize agricultural efficiency practices within their operations. The result is a fresh set of perspectives for agriculture and a constructive dialogue, both within the sector and with the public at large.