We support agriculture organizations on topics ranging from corporate and business unit strategy to mergers and acquisitions. Our approach covers the full value chain, combining expert support with proprietary tools, advanced analytics, and broader industry knowledge in areas such as animal health, consumer packaged goods, the public sector, corporate strategy, and private equity.
We help agriculture companies navigate a future of uncertainty, stemming from evolving commodity markets, climate change, and the rise of digitization as a disruptive force.
What We Do
Optimize the portfolio
Improving performance across portfolios, pinpointing growth opportunities in new business areas, and identifying activities that might need to be scaled back or divested.
Create winning innovation strategies
Developing innovation strategies and execution plans that help companies get ahead in dynamic markets.
Strengthen strategic decision-making
Enhancing strategy development processes so leaders can make better decisions and act with clarity and speed.
Examples of our work
Navigating the rise of digital
Supported a global agriculture inputs provider on its digital strategy, resulting in multiple acquisitions and business building.
Developing innovation strategies
Guided a global fertilizer company in its expansion, with a particular focus on sharpening its innovation approach.
Holistic portfolio review
Helped a company evaluate resource allocation and pursue organic and inorganic growth opportunities.
Featured Experts
Nelson Ferreira
Senior Partner
Advises agriculture and mining companies in Brazil and Latin America, helping executives set strategy, manage supply chains, and drive operational transformation
Gillian Pais
Managing Partner
Leads McKinsey’s work in nature and agriculture in Africa and advises governments, development partners, and private companies on sustainable economic development topics
Yuito Yamada
Senior Partner and Regional Leader, Sustainability and Agriculture
Serves as Japan’s leader for McKinsey Sustainability—the firm’s global client service platform to help all industry sectors achieve net zero emissions by 2050
Featured capabilities
Portfolio Analyzer
A customizable, user-friendly app that offers a detailed visual representation of the current portfolio and of potential portfolio moves.
Corporate Performance Analytics
A digital platform for benchmarking financial performance data, developing strategies, and uncovering insights for data-driven decision-making.
Resource-reallocation diagnostic
A tool that assesses reallocation history and the barriers a company faces when attempting to shift resources, including capital expenditures, marketing spending, operational expenditures, and talent.
ACRE
ACRE combines proprietary market outlooks, pricing data, and expert insights to help food companies, governments, investors, and agriculture players make better pricing, crop selection, and sales and marketing decisions.
Featured Insights
Blog Post
Looking back on H1 and ahead: Agriculture’s mid-year picture
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Increasing biofuel demand, rising land prices, volatile fertilizer markets, and mixed performance across the industry are shaping...
Article
How agility and AI could rewire agriculture trading
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Global forces and algorithmic price discovery are reshaping agriculture trading. Traders and processors with agile, analytics‑driven...
Article
Global agriculture at a crossroads: How to reap returns across cycles
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Our analysis of publicly traded global agriculture companies reveals a group of leaders has generated sustained performance across...