Waitrose farmers to measure biodiversity in real time

Waitrose is rolling out new technology that will allow it to gather real-time data on the environmental health of its farms.

The supermarket chain has partnered with digital mapping tool, Land App, to measure progress on over 60 key sustainability metrics with the aim of enhancing the state of nature in Waitrose’s supply chain.

Land App is a digital mapping platform that has an added nature reporting functionality, enabling real time reporting of key metrics like biodiversity.

The partnership forms part of Waitrose’s farming for nature programme through which it has committed to assess the state of nature on all of its own-brand farms by 2026.

Over 2,000 Waitrose farmers will get free access to digital mapping tools and expert support, including from organisations like the Wildlife Trusts, to help them develop long-term regenerative farming plans to improve soil health, reduce risks like flooding and enhance wildlife habitats.

“This latest technology will provide us and our farmers with data that we can use, evaluate and act on to support the adoption of nature-friendly farming with real insights on what works and what doesn’t,” said James Bailey, executive director of Waitrose.

The move by Waitrose aligns with wider industry efforts, through programmes like Soil Association Exchange and Global Farm Metric, to help farmers collect and benchmark farm-level data on ecosystem health across key indicators like soil, water, biodiversity and carbon.


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