Vestar Capital Partners’ Post

The World Economic Forum and Bain & Company recently published a report outlining the financing and collaboration needed to support farmers in accelerating a transition to sustainable food production. It articulates the economic, technical and social barriers to adoption — presenting ways to address each. Here are key takeaways for scaling regenerative practices, especially #agroforestry: 1. Investing in agroforestry is smart business. Financial actors can reduce their risk exposure and open up new business opportunities while turbocharging regenerative agriculture programs 2. Put farmers first when designing programs. Farmers should be offered a flexible stack of financial and non-financial services from which they can select the support they need based on their specific context 3. Collaborate! Brands need pre-competitive collaboration along value chain companies to aggregate demand for environmental outcomes and improved farm resilience Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eVvk-nxy

Empowering Communities In a world full of complex challenges, effective change starts by meeting people where they are. Too often, well-intentioned projects fail because they bring solutions that don't fit the local context. I've seen factories and equipment worth millions sitting unused because there was no follow-through or training. That's why my approach is different. I've done the due diligence, talked to the people, and understood their needs. By introducing new technologies and smart farming practices, including bio-stimulants, we're creating a sustainable food system that lowers the cost of food and boosts crop yields. This isn't just about innovation; it's about practical, sustainable solutions that make a real difference. Together, we can build a better future, starting from the ground up. #SustainableFarming #CommunityEmpowerment #SmartAgriculture #LocalSolutions

It's been a while you saw some news from me, and it's high time I share what I've been holding back. Since the launch of the "LIVING CROPLAND" Initiative in May, my dedicated team has been on a relentless mission. We believe in the power of a responsible, regenerative approach to land use as a key to overcoming climate challenges. It's about taking voluntary responsibility for our collective future, transcending own business and national borders. Every action we take leaves an fingerprint on the land, and it's time to be mindful of that. The mission of the "LIVING CROPLAND" Initiative is to contribute to the creation of a sustainable future by implementing innovative regenerative approaches in agriculture, in collaboration with the agricultural sector. Our task calls for reducing carbon emissions, restoring soil fertility, and supporting biodiversity, while producing agricultural products in harmony with nature to achieve sustainable agriculture and preserve the health of the planet for future generations. Embarking on this international journey is an exciting venture, and I invite you to join the Group. Stay tuned for updates and announcements—there's a lot of fascinating developments ahead, I assure you! https://lnkd.in/dKxCGPiy

A new report from World Economic Forum lays out a breakthrough model for financing and collaboration to support farmers and accelerate the transition to sustainable food production. Research on more than 50 U.S. regenerative agriculture programs informed the report's findings, which highlight how capital and capabilities can be coordinated and deployed more effectively to address economic, technical, and social barriers to farmer adoption. Our members Bayer, Environmental Defense Fund, Nutrien Ag Solutions, PepsiCo, and Unilever and partners Practical Farmers of Iowa and Precision Conservation Management contributed to the report. Dive in: https://lnkd.in/eVvk-nxy

We are thrilled to share more about our #sustainability vision and initiatives through our firm's first formal #SustainabilityReport! 🌿 🍃 🍎 🍑 🍒 For calendar year 2023, we aimed to capture some of the highlights, including our Top Trials Program (where we trial 10-15 of the most relevant #agtechnologies annually), some of our key Industry and Community #Alliances, and more about our first #conservationeasement deal. While our focus is on what we have accomplished in 2023, these initiatives are part of a long history of effort to leave the land better than we found it. Founded in 2009, International Farming has been combining our extensive knowledge and relationships with innovative #tech, end-to-end solutions, and #assetmanagement to serve as a passionate champion for #foodtransparency and #landstewardship. We hope you enjoy reading more about how we are turning What I.F. into Reality! You can download the 2023 report here: https://lnkd.in/eUjhHgk4 #foodandagriculture #foodsystem #sustainability #sustainablefarming #foodandagriculture #agriculture #sustainableagriculture #sustainableag #assetmanagement #foodeconomy #ESG #esginvesting

In today's rapidly changing world, communities across the globe face many challenges—one pressing issue being the sustainability and resilience of our local food systems. How can we ensure that our neighborhoods have access to fresh, locally grown produce while also reducing food waste and carbon emissions? One promising solution is to harness the power of community collaboration and data-driven decision-making. By working together, communities can track and collect crucial information about local farming yields, identify opportunities to boost production, and encourage the consumption of homegrown food. This not only strengthens the local economy but also contributes to a more sustainable environment. This is exactly what Buberry Worldwide, a project dedicated to improving local food systems, is doing in the US. By leveraging the collaborative features of Ushahidi, they are partnering with community members, local organizations, and agricultural experts across the country to map out fruit trees, gather data, and share insights. This collective effort aims to: ✅Identify, document and local fruit trees to better understand the existing resources and their potential. ✅Increase fruit production through targeted interventions and support ✅Raising awareness and encouraging the community to consume locally grown produce, thus reducing food waste and lowering carbon emissions. It is through initiatives like these that communities across the globe can build a stronger, more resilient local food systems that benefit everyone. Explore the deployment here: https://lnkd.in/dMQhWMJZ Do you have a cause that would empower the community? Create your own deployment on Ushahidi and start turning your ideas into impactful community projects. Go to https://ushahidi.io/create and start today.

Tinia P., CEO of Re-Nuble, has a varied background in technology, sustainability, and finance. She holds a B.S. in Business Information Technology from Virginia Tech and a Master of Science degree from Columbia University in sustainability. Tinia highlights sustainable solutions in agriculture, leveraging her IT background to address food waste issues, expanding product offerings with Renew Terra, and securing funding and contracts with organizations like the USDA. Tinia addresses challenges in urban organic waste management, agricultural regulation, and scaling innovation. She advises starting small, promoting accountability in food production, fostering collaboration for innovation, and understanding market needs for effective product iterations. Tinia gives a shoutout to investors especially Gayle Jennings O'Byrne of Wocstar Fund and Tracy Gray of The 22 Fund, for their support and understanding of the challenges in agriculture and manufacturing, acknowledging their guidance. Watch the full episode and connect with Tinia P. in the comment section below! 🤗 I highly suggest you watch this entire exchange between Tinia Pina ⭐️Todd Westra 📈 #GASpodcast  #WithMoku  #Toddwestra #sustainablesolutions #foodwaste #greentech  #urbanagriculture  #renewableresources #environmentalimpact #TiniaPina #ReNuble #circulareconomy #climateaction #agtech #EcoFriendly #ZeroWaste #SustainabilityMatters #greenbusiness #foodsecurity #CommunityGardening #ceoinsights #regenerativeagriculture #founderstories #founderjourney #founder

To transition to a more resilient and regenerative food system that benefits both people and planet, we need the capital to do so. This report created by The Rockefeller Foundation's grantee Pollination in partnership with Transformational Investing in Food Systems outlines key learnings about ways to mobilize and scale capital to transition food systems to be more regenerative. Read more in this insightful report: https://lnkd.in/e7vANM7W

As the climate changes, so does our ability to produce food and maintain sources of drinking water. Already climate change has battered the cacao and citrus industries, and it is beginning to affect corn, rice, and wheat - leading to increased food insecurity as these staple crop yields diminish, regions with viable arable land shift, and extreme weather events disrupt agricultural production and supply chains.    Regenerative agriculture and a holistic approach to land stewardship called "integrated landscape management" (ILM) are both emerging as natural solutions to sustain production, ensure food and water security, restore natural environments and maintain livelihoods. Integrated place-based approaches apply principles of systems thinking, collaboration among actors and stewardship at multiple levels and are already demonstrating significant, sustained benefits for all involved.   This month, Sara Scherr from EcoAgriculture Partners, and I authored a piece in Forbes, where we explain the principles of integrated landscape management and discuss the value of these long-term, place-based partnerships between farmers, businesses, environmental organisations, local governments, communities and indigenous people, with examples of how they can accelerate the regenerative transition. We spotlight the 1000 Landscapes For 1 Billion People initiative, which Climate-KIC is proud to support as a partner and funder, and discuss how innovative partnerships can define transformation strategies and adaptive action plans. Fit-for-purpose finance remains a barrier to the success of these partnerships since the financial system is poorly structured to provide the kinds of investments needed for landscape-scale transformations. During the 2024-26 period, the 1000 Landscapes For 1 Billion People coalition will put in place key building blocks for scaling integrated landscape finance, including: 📍Demand for finance: financial support services for landscape partnerships to develop investable, inclusive landscape investment portfolios. 📍Supply of finance: prototypes and strategic guidance for investors, funders, and businesses to finance landscape project portfolios. 📍Fostering system transformation through the 1000L landscape finance community. See the full article in Forbes: "Farming A Better Future: How Big-Picture Thinking About Regenerative Agriculture Can Help Fix Society’s Ills" and let us know what challenges and opportunities you see in #integratedlandscapmanagement and #regenerativeagriculture for #climateaction. Join forces with us! 👉 Full article is here: https://lnkd.in/en53Z2hV

MegaFood's first-ever Impact Report details the company's social and #sustainability progress—and #regenerative #agriculture and worker equity are topline items. ➡️ https://bit.ly/3LwzSKD