Resource description:
This Guidance Booklet, Guiding Businesses in integrating Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions in Decision-Making Processes, produced by IUCN for NetworkNature, explores how agrifood businesses can move from pilot projects to embedding Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in everyday decision-making.
Every business in the sector depends on nature to operate. Fertile soil, clean water and pollination are not optional inputs, yet the agrifood sector remains one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. This is not just an environmental concern but a direct business risk: as ecosystems decline, so does the foundation on which agricultural productivity, supply chain reliability and long-term profitability are built.
Drawing on a December 2025 capacity-building event organised by NetworkNature, the booklet showcases three success stories. EARA's farmer-led research across 78 European farms demonstrates that regenerative practices can cut synthetic nitrogen use and pesticides, while improving gross margins per hectare. First Milk's Regenerative Farming Programme, built on transparent benchmarking and performance-based payments, has driven a strong increase in regenerative farming scores across its 700-farm cooperative. Dennree shows how providing reliable market access to producers committed to ecological principles can support NbS at scale.
The booklet also sets out the main barriers businesses face, including a lack of standardised data and metrics, financial uncertainty during the transition period, and policy frameworks that do not consistently reward nature-positive outcomes.
To address these challenges, the booklet proposes four key actions: building long-term partnerships that share risk across the value chain, engaging farmers as co-designers rather than recipients of change, making environmental impacts measurable and visible, and aligning business strategy with emerging policy frameworks.
For the agrifood sector, the message is clear: nature-positive transformation is underway, but it needs to accelerate, and the practical entry points exist for businesses ready to take their next step.
Author/Contact:
IUCN
