First Movers Coalition for Food 2026

Dependency shapes resilience strategy and sourcing pathway FIGURE 4 DefinitionHigher dependency Lower dependency Limited number of suppliers that can meet product expectations, in fewer sourcing regionsMany suppliers that meet cost, quality and availability requirements, across multiple regions Resilience strategy Sourcing pathwayFocus on on-farm robustness Spec-anchored sourcingFocus on sourcing flexibility Decoupled sourcingA company’s level of dependency determines whether on-farm robustness or sourcing flexibility should be prioritized in its resilience strategy. Source: Bain & Company analysis. Industry-wide partnerships and operational alignment across procurement, sustainability and finance functions can help unlock change at scale. Adopting best practices requires alignment both externally and internally. Externally, strong partnerships across the value chain with peers, adjacent industries and financiers reflect the collective effort that supports durable change. Internally, collaboration among relevant corporate functions is critical to embed new ways of working. Strengthening partnerships across the value chain and beyond To transform agriculture at scale, companies can build next-generation partnerships in two complementary forms: with key value chain actors and with financial institutions.Partnerships with value chain players Partnerships with key value chain players, including peers and adjacent supply chains (e.g. biofuels, animal feed) are essential for greater collaboration. Retailers can also play an active role in these partnerships, especially as catalytic actors to scale up successful partnerships. These partnerships accelerate shared learning, reduce cost duplication and build supplier confidence. For example, global dairy co-operative Fonterra has partnered with Nestlé and Mars to lower dairy farming emissions. Farmers receive financial incentives from the co-operative and top-ups from downstream buyers, rewarding those who deliver low-emissions dairy products. This enables buyers to meet scope 3 targets while also strengthening supplier resilience. Farmers who meet the targets are eligible for tools and services to further improve their efficiency in reducing emissions.56 2.4 Strengthen partnerships and align corporate operations First Movers Coalition for Food: CEO Lessons for the Future of Food Procurement 20