RFSI Canada 2024

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Regenerative Food Systems Investment Canada
Virtual Event - December 10, 2024
9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PST | 12:00-3:30 p.m. EST
stock photo - copy - copy
Regenerative Food Systems Investment Canada
Virtual Event - December 10, 2024
9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PST | 12:00-3:30 p.m. EST

Agenda   |   Speakers   |   Case Studies   |   Sponsor   |    Register

Be Part of the Inaugural RFSI Canada Event!

A free, half-day, virtual convening to catalyze connections and capital for the transition to more resilient agriculture and food systems in Canada.

Building on the success and impact of the Regenerative Food Systems Investment* (RFSI) events in the U.S. and Europe, the RFSI Canada Virtual Event will convene diverse investors, funders, farmers, processors, food brands and many other critical food systems stakeholders to learn about, build strategic relationships around, and move capital towards agriculture and food systems transformation.

The imperative to shift agricultural and food production systems away from extraction and toward restoration and regeneration has never been stronger. Farmers, supply chains, and brands are starting to feel the negative impacts of climate change and decades of soil and environmental degradation. Many are already seeking new paths forward to manage these risks. Farmers are experimenting with changes in production practices, for example, and multinational food corporations are exploring how to address scope 3 emissions while managing increasing supply chain risk. It’s happening around the world, and it’s happening in Canada.

However, the current ways of doing agriculture and food are deeply ingrained in conventional and extractive models, and are intricately intertwined with other systems, such as finance and policy – all of which can inhibit one’s ability to change. A systemic approach to transformation – and to funding this transformation – is necessary, to reduce the risk and increase chances of success. This presents an opportunity!

All registrants will be invited to listen in, learn, and participate in the December 10th program, plus receive access to the recording after the event.


This inaugural convening aims to:

  • Lay the foundation for a systemic approach to investing in agriculture and food systems transformation in Canada.
  • Build a more engaged and collaborative ecosystem between Canadian regenerative food stakeholders and the domestic and international investment community.
  • Showcase a diversity of projects already happening across Canada via written and live case studies.
  • Introduce domestic and international investors to opportunities for investment in the Canadian regenerative food system ecosystem.

Topics to be covered include:

  • Canada’s unique agriculture and food landscape
  • The investment case for regenerative agriculture and food systems and what it means to take a systems approach
  • Fascinating case studies of those already working on transformation – from farm to consumer to financier – and what each sees as barriers and opportunities
  • The role diverse forms of capital can play in enabling systems change and how they can work together to fund project life-cycles and entire landscapes
  • And much more!

AGENDA

Day One
December 10
RFSI CANADA AGENDA
9-12:30 PM PT || 10-1:30 PM MT || 11-2:30 PM CT || 12-3:30 PM ET
*****
9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET
Welcome
9:10 a.m. PT / 12:10 p.m. ET
The Canadian Opportunity
Darren Baccus, Farm Credit Canada & Kira Gerwing, Sacha Investments

Framing the imperative for transformation in Canada’s agriculture and food system.
9:25 a.m. PT /
12:25 p.m. ET
Panel: From Soil to Supermarket – Perspectives from the Field
Derek Axten, Axten Farms; Ran Goel, Mama Earth

In this journey through the agriculture and food supply chain, attendees will get a closer look through the eyes of key stakeholders – from farmer to food retailer – at the opportunities for and barriers to food systems transformation in Canada.
10:10 a.m. PT /
1:10 p.m. ET
The Investment Case & Why We Need a Systemic Approach
Eoin Callan, Bloom Impact Capital; Andrew Heintzman, InvestEco Capital; Sally Miller, Fair Food Fund;

Agriculture and food systems are uniquely interconnected with each other and many systems around them – ecological, financial, political, and healthcare being the most prominent. Consequently, investment into agriculture and food transformation can not be done without consideration of these surrounding systems.
10:40 a.m. PT /
1:40 p.m. ET
Reflection
10:50 a.m. PT /
1:50 p.m. ET
Innovative Financial Infrastructure to Enable Transition
Graeme Millen, Farm Credit Canada; Adam Spence, SVX; Ilse Treurnicht, TwinRiver Capital

Capital is an essential lever to enable the transition across the system – from farm, through the supply chain, all the way to consumer. But in order to invest for transformational outcomes, the capital stack and infrastructure used to enable participation has to be different than what has been used in the past.
11:30 a.m. PT /
2:30 p.m. ET
Group Work & Reflection
11:40 a.m. PT /
2:40 p.m. ET
Panel: Investing Strategically, Collaboratively, and Inclusively in Systems Change

The complexity of agriculture and food systems require a systems approach to investing in change. A diverse group of investors and systems builders will dig into:
– The opportunity they see in Canadian agriculture and food
– The strategies and portfolios they are building to take on transformation
– How they define success, impact, and the returns they expect to see… and when
– Advice they might give to others as they explore the space
12:20 p.m. PT /
3:20 p.m. ET
Closing Thoughts: What Comes Next
12:30 p.m. PT /
3:30 p.m. ET
Program Concludes

SPEAKERS

The first look at our speakers. Stay tuned for the full line-up!


CANADA CASE STUDIES

Learn about the incredible work already being done in Canada’s agriculture, food, and finance systems with a series of transformational case studies.

Case Study #1 features Le FIRA, a unique financial firm in the province of Quebec that has found an impactful way to pave an easier path to farm ownership for new farmers.

Download the Le FIRA Case Study here.

Case Study #2 features Harvest to Gather, a family of businesses in the southern Ontario region that work together to provide an integrated sustainable food supply system for small and medium scale producers.

Download the Harvest to Gather Case Study here.

Stay tuned as we continue to release more case studies in the coming weeks!


Thank You to Our Lead Sponsor

The Canadian Centre for Food & Ecology (CCFE) is a national non-profit dedicated to building demand for regeneratively grown foods by helping consumers make conscious food decisions that are good both for themselves and the planet.


Additional thanks to these partners:

BoAnn
Cascadia Seaweed
Genus Capital
Holistic Management Canada
Manitoba Forage and Grasslands association
Nature Investment Hub
Nicola Wealth Private Giving Foundation
Pollination
Regeneration Canada

Renewal Funds
Scale Collaborative
Spring Impact Capital
SVX
University of Victoria (Impact Investing Hub, Environmental Institute)
Verdex Capital
World Wildlife Fund
Young Agrarians