Nupo Ventures’ Post

Interesting new summary from Ag Funder on the rise of corporate regenerative ag goals. https://lnkd.in/eZvFYehY   Some thoughts:   👩🌾 For food/ag companies, supporting farmers to transition to climate-smart agriculture is good business. It can help you improve supply chain resiliency and meet consumer and investor demand for climate action (especially with potent nitrous oxide and methane). 🎯Setting public goals is a critical first step – great to see that 38 companies have these types of goals, up from a few years back. ↗️ It's also critical that companies follow through on these commitments with action plans, incentives for farmers, and support for the policy and innovation enablers that drive the transition faster. 👋 As companies dive into implementation, @EDF+Business can help – check out our most recent blog on supporting farmers in adopting climate-smart practices: https://lnkd.in/eAGGbB88 🌾And see here for additional resources that can support you in the journey toward more regenerative supply chains: https://lnkd.in/eXaUiQdw. 

Bayer and Trinity AgTech join forces to drive regenerative practices. 'One of Bayer’s strategic priorities is to help shape regenerative agriculture by investing in innovations that increase food production, farm incomes and climate resilience, while also protecting and restoring nature. In line with the political objectives of the EU Green Deal, Bayer is working on the decarbonization of the food value chain focusing on farmers’ activities and connecting them with companies from the food value chain. The idea is to reward growers for adopting regenerative agriculture practices like using cover crops, tillage reduction, crop rotations and precision nitrogen application. These activities sequester carbon in the soil while improving soil health, resilience and productivity as well as limiting emissions. Digital technologies are important enablers for these endeavors.' https://hubs.li/Q02rL54W0

Discover the latest on #RegenerativeAgriculture in an insightful Financial Times piece by Freya Pratty. 📰 Freya explores the increasing focus of major corporations such as Nestlé, Unilever, and Danone on #biodiversity and soil health, as they incorporate #regenerative approaches into their #sustainability plans. From 2021 to 2023, a 46% surge in #VentureCapital funding drove the growth of tech start-ups developing regenerative tools. 👉 https://ow.ly/V4VS50QweCW In response to heightened investor interest in the topic, FAIRR released a thematic report evaluating the regenerative commitments of #AgriFood companies. Despite the industry's eagerness to adopt regenerative farming strategies, FAIRR's findings underscore a notable need for more transparency regarding company aspirations, the extent of commitments, and the criteria for measuring success. These gaps present challenges for investors, whose #climate and #nature targets depend on the actions of their holdings, making it challenging to evaluate the impact of regenerative agriculture and identify underperformers within their portfolios. Some key insights of the report include: 🔹50/79 companies worth USD 3 trillion mention regenerative agriculture initiatives in their disclosures. 🔹 Only 36% have quantified company-wide targets for regenerative agriculture. 🔹 Only 8% have targets to support #farmers to deploy regenerative practices financially. Download the full report here 👉️ https://ow.ly/IOY350QweCV

Indigo Raises $250M to Accelerate Sustainability Programs for Farmers and Agribusinesses As Indigo Ag's funding continued to grow over the years, it evolved and expanded beyond its work developing microbial products that increase crop yields, to add services that will see it become a full-service digital platform for farmers and agricultural businesses. This newest capital, which Indigo Ag stated, signals market validation of its strategy and reflects a level of investor confidence in its novel ability to drive success at scale for farmers and agribusinesses, the company plans to use to scale its unique platform and to drive innovation and growth for its sustainable ag programs. https://hubs.li/Q023fhmr0

I was reading this story about financing for regenerative ag and would love to hear people’s opinions. It highlights that there is enough capital to fund the switch to regenerative ag, but that the problem is the confidence that the financing will fit financiers’ current risk and reward standards. The Rockefeller Foundation funded the development of a guide for mobilizing and scaling capital that points out that government funding for food security often has unintended consequences that slow movement towards regenerative and sustainable agriculture.  The CAP program in the EU is using regulation to drive change at the grower level, tying subsidies to sustainable practices. In the case of EUDR, the EU stepped in to drive agricultural change through regulation focusing on the CPGs. In the US, we tend to shy away from regulation and rely more on market forces. However, existing government subsidies can distort incentives and have some negative externalities that are generally not measured. We are definitely taking steps forward with Climate Smart Commodities grants and the RCPP funding, but is that enough? Should there be changes to the existing subsidy structures? Should the US government implement regulation for CPGs or is does the answer lie in unlocking the capital highlighted in the article? And how can we share our learnings with the global south so they can avoid the same pitfalls without it being perceived as new age colonialism? 

It is reported that 90% of farmers in the USA are aware of more sustainable practices that can be implemented on-farm. However, some of the blockers to greater uptake and implementation of these measures are lack of simplicity and lack of ability to realise market premiums for produce grown in more sustainable ways. To resolve some of the challenges to further uptake, McKinsey & Company suggest solutions like green premiums, accessible sustainability programmes, education and collaboration. At Agri Sciences Biologicals we make simplicity a pillar of our product development, ensuring our solutions can be used in as many application scenarios/systems as possible, without the need for additional investment in equipment or skillsets. Innovative formulations can integrate into existing programmes, simply and effectively. AgTechNavigator #sustainableagriculture #greenpremium #sustainability

Regenerative agriculture is having a moment. The phrase is firmly cemented in corporate parlance — cropping up in the sustainability plans of companies such as Nestlé, Unilever and Danone. Off the back of this rising interest, there are also a growing number of tech startups building regenerative agriculture tools — and investors are increasingly willing to channel money to them. But does tech have a role to play in a movement that is, at its heart, low-tech? For the Financial Times: https://lnkd.in/eCss6JnU

Regenerative agriculture not only holds the key to restoring the planet's health 🌍 but also presents a promising avenue for investments in the ever-expanding realm of agricultural technology. As a ClimateCAP Fellow, Leeds student Rita Herzog (MBA/MENV'24) developed a piece that: 🌎 delves into the significance of regenerative agriculture from both environmental and societal perspectives, 💸 explores the investment potential of regenerative ag tech, 📈 highlights investment areas poised for success in the field, 🤝 discusses the vital role of public-private partnerships, and 💡 showcases alternative investment solutions to food and ag tech that support the scaling of regenerative agriculture. We're proud to share Rita's work on this vital topic! #regenerativeagriculture #sustainablefarming #investment #sustainableinvestment #impactinvesting

We're happy to announce our continued support for Bioomix as part of their $6.7M Series A funding round led by Westhill Capital. As existing investors (together with PreSeed Ventures and BioInnovation Institute), we are deeply committed to nurturing ventures that hold the potential to make a tangible difference on a planetary scale. Bioomix, with its innovative approach to agriculture, stands at the forefront of this mission. Their groundbreaking work in developing microbial solutions is a leap forward in making agriculture more regenerative, productive, and environmentally friendly. Why is this important? - Agriculture accounts for 37% of global warming, with fertilizer production and use contributing 5% to this figure. - Expanding farmland and deforestation have contributed a staggering ⅓ of all greenhouse gas emissions. - Farmers are under economic strain due to climate change and escalating prices on farm inputs. Bioomix's solutions address these challenges head-on. They are pioneering in reducing fertilizer and eliminating pesticide use, cutting carbon emissions, and enhancing economic profitability for farmers. Their flagship product, SeedSpeed, exemplifies this by enhancing nutrient uptake in plants, leading to healthier, more abundant crops. We see Bioomix as a beacon of hope, embodying our ethos at Planetary Impact Ventures: investing in companies that offer respectful, humble solutions that can aid in the transition to regenerative farming practices. The world is at a crucial juncture, and the need for sustainable food production is more urgent than ever. With Bioomix's plans to expand their commercial team, develop new products, and increase production capacity, we are confident that they will continue to drive significant change in the agriculture sector, both locally and globally. We are proud to be part of this journey, supporting a future where food production aligns harmoniously with the health of our planet. 

The shift towards regenerative agriculture is not just a trend; it's a necessity for businesses committed to sustainability. This latest agenda blog delves into the imperative for companies to adopt clear frameworks, set specific goals, and employ scientific methods to measure the impacts of regenerative practices. https://lnkd.in/gJcepubh The Forum’s breakthrough models for financing a sustainability transition report published earlier this year with our fantastic partners at Bain & Company provides an innovative model that makes it practical for farmers to transition to regenerative agriculture. You can read the report here: English version: https://lnkd.in/gdp4vQZs French version: https://lnkd.in/gA-5A7ZH Chinese version: https://lnkd.in/g6bEYGWD Portuguese version: https://lnkd.in/gWUPPKiD The industry needs to strengthen and support innovative solutions that disrupt business-as-usual for huge gains in the future. It’s a risk but the reward is far greater. It’s like Santiago Gowland says: “The hidden costs of inaction are colossal, totalling $10 trillion annually (10% of global gross domestic product) – far less than the relatively modest price tag of transitioning to regenerative approaches at $250-430 billion per year. Beyond saving our planet, it’s a golden opportunity for businesses to tap into new avenues and drive a transformative change within food and farming.” #RegenerativeAgriculture #Sustainability #Innovation #BusinessTransformation #SustainableFinance