Producers Trust

As we hit the halfway mark of 2024 I’ve organized some of my key learnings thus far to share with you all. - Building a strong business case and incentive model for farmers to transition to better practices is the critical unlock toward farmers adopting regenerative practices at scale and with longevity. - Market commitments attract and de-risk financing. Market commitments often don’t provide pricing that makes farming lucrative. The opportunity to drive a new paradigm is the direct sale of non commodity products to local market as fresh produce and to global markets as added value specialty products. - Climate finance industry has available capital looking to be deployed into sustainable projects however only a fraction of private sector capital is moving to Nature Based Solutions projects and ventures. Often times the capital that is moving to the ag sector is looking through the lens of carbon credits, insetting and monitoring technology. - The decentralized and disorganized nature of small farmer supply chains makes it far more complicated and risky to scale VC and Private Equity backed business models aimed at improved farmer practices and the aggregation of data validated, sustainable farmer outputs. - Partnership is the key driver for scaling sustainability. Our ability to organize together across multiple stakeholders business requirements, objectives and resources can unlock de-risking, market commitments and financial resources to scale programs across multiple geographies and supply chains to drive farmer transition to sustainable agriculture. - The world of supply chain is moving rapidly toward farm level transformation. It felt like the last 18 months was all about data validation but ultimately we are verifying data and it doesn’t fundamentally do anything to fix our broken supply chains. SaaS models for data validation for compliance and reporting will continue to decrease in cost and will eventually be factored into the cost of goods sold as a marginal cost that doesn’t impact procurement decisions. - Securing raw material sourcing in the face of climate change will become the key driver for corporate commitments to take on sustainable direct sourcing programs. - India, DRC, Indonesia and Brazil are becoming center points for the scaled deployment of funds into sustainable agriculture development in the global south. - The clock is ticking for vulnerable communities in rural areas and we must push harder and be bolder with the deployment of capital. We must be willing to take bigger risks and start making big bets on innovation that directly engages farmer networks.

On my trip to Egypt I met a small mango farmer on the Nile. He spends his days drinking tea with friends and looking out to the majestic river from his humble shack. His son works the mango land day to day and makes sure the trees are irrigated and the mangos are ripening properly for harvest season. The teenage kids fetch water from the Nile to irrigate the small plots of corn, which are fed to the chickens once harvested. I sat with the farmer for a while and just smiled together him as we enjoyed each others company. At the end as I got up to leave, he asked if I had any extra money for him. I gave him some Egyptian pounds as it seemed like a fair exchange for hosting me. I also gifted a hat that I bought at a nearby village. He returned a tremendous smile. This visit was an important reminder that often times farmers aren’t looking for someone from the outside to come and bring them solutions. They are usually just looking to receive a fair economic exchange for their work.

“We’re in service to real human beings on the ground and we always keep their livelihoods front and center.” - Keith Agoada, Producers Trust. I'm honored by this recognition in the Spring/Summer Update from the Wisconsin School of Business "8 to Watch" edition. We started Producers Trust 7 years ago with a mission to make a positive impact on the lives of farmers, their families and communities. Our vision is to align our profits to correlate directly with the farmer-centric impact on the agriculture supply chain. We often focus on vulnerable rural communities in the global south. Every dollar we transact means farmers and communities are benefitting. We are out here to prove that engaging farmers to improve profitability through the adoption of sustainable programs is one of the great entrepreneurial opportunities of the next 10 years. Hundreds of millions of farmers and trillions of dollars of transactions (products, services, finance, etc) are up for grabs. What I have learned is that this shift toward sustainable outcomes must result in a business case for farmers to make more money. This is the language of change for the farmers I have engaged with. We are pioneering this journey as a platform that builds multi-stakeholder alignment to unlock markets, finance and data which will drive a scalable business case for sustainable transition across the supply chain. You can read the full update and article here: https://lnkd.in/dS2rm4J2 Thanks to Rob van Zelst for sending me over this photo!

My interest in regenerative agriculture was sparked in 2008 when I discovered the book "One Straw Revolution" by rice farmer, Masanobu Fukuoka. It continues to be one of my greatest inspirations and influences. In the last couple weeks part of my focus at Producers Trust has been looking at regenerative rice transition in India and South America. This is a welcome connection back to where I started in regenerative. For context: Rice is the worlds most consumed crop. It is largely cultivated by smallholder farmers. It is a large emitter of methane gas. Synthetic chemical applications and flood irrigation often negatively impacts natural resources, biodiversity, CO2, and human health. White rice is overly processed causing negative health consequences for its consumers in countries that rely on rice as a major source of calories. As an industry there is an opportunity to come together to create scalable models for transitioning rice production to regenerative outcomes. Critical to this scaling is a clear profitability incentive for farmers. Without a clear business case, the transition will not scale. So how do we scale regenerative rice in developing countries?  In Andhra Pradesh, India, rice farmers are transitioning to climate smart practices through a farmer to farmer grass roots capacity building model. Farmers are using native seed varieties, row cropping techniques, clay seed coverings for efficient multi-crop sowing, integrated pest management techniques, and intercropping of high valued cash crops. Farmers value the health benefits to their families and communities, and many are receiving higher values for their outputs. In Uruguay and Brazil, rice farmers are transitioning to better practices with the support of public-private interventions that educate farmers on improved irrigation models and the reduction of synthetic chemicals through biological inputs and improved technology. There is still a market gap to help incentivize these programs. If we look back to "One Straw Revolution" Fukuoka built soil health and a vibrant ecosystem which lowered input costs and increased yields over time. Whether it be a reduction in input costs, the increase in market premiums, carbon credits, improved post-harvest infrastructures, de-risking/insurance for transitions, subsidies from government, and the marketability of non-rice crops within the same farm, what is critical is that we find a way to make rice transition more profitable. This is a challenge that will require significant capacity building, in addition to the infrastructure, equipment and input requirements. Any research or information on regenerative rice production and scaling would be much appreciated. Photos from my recent site visit in Andhra Pradesh, India.

🌿🌍 Producers Trust & Nzatu Forge a Landmark Partnership for Sustainable Development in Africa 🌍🌿 Nzatu Food Group We're thrilled to unveil a pioneering partnership with Nzatu, an esteemed champion of nature-based solutions for combating climate change and safeguarding biodiversity through the power of regenerative agriculture. Our Joint Mission: Elevate supply chain sustainability throughout Africa. Bolster continent-wide food security. Advocate for gender equity within the smallholder farming community. Our Collaborative Actions: Digitally integrate thousands of Nzatu’s farmers into the Producers Market, ensuring their invaluable work gains the visibility it deserves. Innovate with StoryBirds for Nzatu, leveraging this cutting-edge transparency platform to showcase their journey through compelling narratives, authenticated data, and impactful storytelling. Engage in climate-centric events and proactively seek avenues to enhance support for our vast network of small producers. This collaboration is more than a partnership; it's a commitment to transformative change, setting a new standard for sustainability in Africa. Dive deeper into our collective vision and the promising initiatives ahead: Read Our Blog Join us as we embark on this exciting journey towards a greener, more equitable future. 🌱 https://lnkd.in/dKx434iv #ProducersTrust #Nzatu #SustainabilityInAfrica #RegenerativeAgriculture #InnovativePartnership #SustainableFuture #EmpoweringFarmers

Discover the Harmony of Coffee and Conservation in the Heart of the Jaguar Corridor! 🌱☕🐆 In our latest exploration on the Producers Market blog, we delve into the captivating dynamics between agriculture and wildlife conservation within Colombia's Jaguar Corridor. This remarkable region showcases a powerful narrative of coexistence, where coffee plantations play a crucial role as buffer zones. These areas not only nurture the production of exquisite coffee but also serve as vital sanctuaries for the majestic jaguars, safeguarding the area's rich biodiversity. We highlight the commendable efforts of WebConserva, an organization at the forefront of fostering a sustainable balance between human activities and the preservation of the natural ecosystem. Their work exemplifies how conscientious agricultural practices can contribute to the conservation of our planet's precious wildlife and habitats. 👉 Embark on this enlightening journey with us and discover how the intersection of coffee cultivation and conservation efforts is paving the way for a future where both humanity and nature thrive in harmony. Read the full story on our blog and be inspired by the possibilities of sustainable coexistence. Visit Our Blog https://lnkd.in/d3bA4G9M

A new conversation with Keith Agoada, CEO and co-founder of Producers Trust, unpacking how we can accelerate the transition of global supply chains to regenerative agriculture through regenerative #landscapes. A fascinating entrepreneurial journey which led to the creation of a regenerative landscape orchestrator that is organizing and coordinating efforts around shared values that aligns #markets, #finance, #data, and capacity building resources to incentivize and de-risk #farmer #transitions to regenerative practices. The participating stakeholder organizations share in the benefits resulting from the regenerative outputs, farmer #resilience and measurable outcomes. https://lnkd.in/d25wSVCM

Is a global transition to Net-Zero Rice a realistic possibility? Rice is a major emitter of methane gas. It is increasingly looked at as one of the evil climate change crops (alongside cattle/dairy) that need to be tackled. Rice is a crop that much of the global south and the world at large relies on for their cultural cuisine and food security. As I understand it, flooding a rice field (a traditional model of rice cultivation) can lead to the oxygen from the atmosphere being disconnected to the soil, which results in anaerobic fermentation of soil organic matter thereby leading to methane emissions. This is a problem that is becoming increasingly urgent for corporations that rely on rice in their supply chains. So the question at Producers Trust we've been exploring is if small holder farmers can transition profitably to regenerative practices to achieve net-zero? We've seen solutions in which irrigation and flooding practices are changed. We've seen solutions in which farmers use a productive algae to achieve methane oxidation. I'm wondering if anyone out there has data or case studies in which small scale rice production (1-3 acres) has achieved net-zero outcomes without negatively impacting farmer profitability. Here are some photos from a trip to Andhra Pradesh, India in 2023 in which networks of rice farmers (about 40% of the 850,000 farmers in the RySS program) are transitioning to regenerative practices. We are also looking to connect with direct global rice buyers that would like to participate in a vertically integrated supply chain case study program in 2024.

Our work at Producers Trust is multi-faceted and solution-oriented. We are confident that the work we are involved in has the capacity to help the huge problem of deforestation. Read our recent article to learn more about the problem, the solutions, and what we are doing. #reforestation #trees #tree #reforestationproject #forest #forestecosystem https://lnkd.in/e2HTA5de