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Corporate Investment in Farmers’ Sustainable Transition

Less than one percent of United States farms had an organic certification in 2017, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Due to its environmental and health benefits, organic agriculture is one of the sustainable agriculture methods many farmers are hoping to adopt.

One would not typically think a timberland investment manager would partner with a land trust to conserve a ranch as an impact investing deal. However, this is exactly the case for the 25,000-acre BX Ranch in Pueblo County, Colorado. At the 2018 Land Trust Alliance Rally Conference, the “Impact Investing – The ‘Real’ Deal” workshop showed how the Palmer Land Trust developed an innovative impact investing framework with Lyme Timber Company and The Nature Conservancy to secure the funds necessary to protect the ranch.

Financial modeling is an emerging application for land trusts. It could make a great difference in their ability to forecast and plan for various future financial scenarios. At this year’s Land Trust Alliance Rally conference during the “Your Future: Financial Modeling for Long-Term Stability” workshop, the Dutchess Land Conservancy of Dutchess County, N.Y., presented a financial model it developed.

Stock image of cattle — Cattle rest on a mountain slope. (Credit: Chad Harder)

Food entrepreneurs are exploring plant-based meats and cell-based meats. According to one market analysis, the global meat-substitutes market is estimated at $4.63 billion USD as of 2018. It will be worth $6.43 billion USD by 2023 at a compound annual growth rate of 6.8 percent.

Refinería de Barrancabermeja in Colombia

In Colombia, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, the government introduced a tax on fossil fuels of $5 USD per ton of carbon dioxide by late 2016. The regulation was set to start working in 2017.

Water – the lifeblood of the $5-trillion food industry – is slowly gaining notice among companies and investors in this sector. Food and agriculture use the single largest share of the world’s freshwater resources, making water-associated risk a critical concern for production and profitability. A key 2017 report by Ceres highlighted the industry’s water risks while identifying how investors can push companies toward better water-management strategies.

Anthropogenic influence on coral ecosystems is tremendous. Corals are dying because of bleaching, disease and weakness. This is due to ocean warming and acidification caused by climate change. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report paints an ominous picture of coral’s future, projecting a 99 percent decline by 2050. Urgent action is critical to prevent dire consequences.

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new series called the Conservation Finance Network Toolkit. This series of articles focuses on individual tools practitioners can use. Our goal is to span the range of comfort levels our readers have – from simple to challenging.

This article by Eve Boyce and Marcy Lyman is part of the Conservation Finance Network Toolkit, a resource designed for professionals who want to learn or communicate about the industry. In an increasing number of communities across the country, utilities are working with conservation groups to ensure the ecosystem services provided by healthy watersheds are protected and maintained. This strategy doesn’t simply provide cost savings to water companies. It can also create a new source of funding and constituencies for land conservation.

This article by Nathalie Woolworth and Hazel Wong is part of the Conservation Finance Network Toolkit, a resource designed for professionals who want to learn or communicate about the industry. Ballot measures, also known as initiatives or propositions, are instruments of direct democracy that allow voters to directly shape public policy in the voting booth.

This article by Maria Martinez is part of the Conservation Finance Network Toolkit, a resource designed for professionals who want to learn or communicate about the industry. State revolving funds (SRFs) have been used for decades as a source of low-cost financing for a variety of water-infrastructure projects.

Voices of Conservation Finance is a podcast series that interviews conservation finance practitioners to explore career paths and opportunities for professional development in the field.