The Benefits to You and Nature
Regenerative farming has incredible benefits to the environment, but it also allows farmers to produce more delicious food for you too.
How It Benefits You
Regenerative farming benefits consumers in several ways:
Reduced Exposure to Chemicals – Regenerative farms often minimise synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides, leading to cleaner, safer food with fewer chemical residues.
Better Food Security – Healthy soils retain more water and resist erosion, making farms more resilient to climate change. This ensures a more stable and reliable food supply for consumers.
Environmental Benefits – Regenerative farming helps capture carbon, restore biodiversity and improve water quality. Supporting these practices means consumers contribute to a healthier planet.
Improved Flavour and Quality – Healthier soils and diverse farming systems often result in better-tasting, higher-quality food.
Ethical and Sustainable Choices – By choosing food from regenerative farms, consumers support farming systems that prioritise animal welfare, soil regeneration and long-term environmental sustainability.
Even small changes will, over time, create a lasting and huge impact. Support British farmers and the regenerative initiative by the Leckford Estate and Waitrose and bring about change from your home too.
Helping Nature Thrive
A NATURAL HABITAT
Alongside our arable land, over a quarter of the Estate's area is dedicated to improving the landscape and natural habitats. This commitment expands to include extensively managed permanent grassland covering more than 40% (over 1,000 acres).
Through our higher-tier Countryside Stewardship Agreements, we are dedicated to preserving important habitats across the estate. We are focused on encouraging species regeneration, diversity and abundance by improving the estate's habitats, hedgerows, woodland, rivers, and arable land. This will benefit priority species like Water Vole, Grey Partridge, Corn Bunting, Lapwing, and various arable plants. Our findings and knowledge will be shared with our farmers in the UK.
More widely the John Lewis Partnership is committed to protecting and enhancing biodiversity and to reversing existing negative effects. You can find more details on these commitments and more in the John Lewis Partnerships’ ‘Our Plan for Nature’.
MONITORING PROGRESS ON THE WAITROSE & PARTNERS FARM
To determine the impact of our land management practices, we will concentrate on three key concept areas referred to as the ‘Big Three':
- Providing safe breeding grounds, shelters, and hibernation areas for all wildlife.
- Ensuring summer food sources, such as pollen, nectar and insect-rich foraging habitats for birds and their offspring.
- Creating winter foraging opportunities and habitats for overwintering.
- In order to assess the impact of our regenerative land management methods on our 'Big Three', we are implementing a species monitoring initiative to monitor biodiversity trends on the estate.
Our own Biodiversity Officer is spearheading efforts to enhance biodiversity on the estate. They will collaborate with experts from various organisations and seek volunteers to join in the initiative.
We are proud to be working with the following organisations in order to do this:
- The John Spedan Lewis Trust for the Advancement of Natural Sciences, a charity that supports research and education in biodiversity
- Winchester to River Test Farmer Cluster Group
- Organisations and institutes such as; the University of Reading’s Centre of Agri-Environmental Research department, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Plantlife, the Wessex Rivers Trust and the RSPB to name a few.
