Top 10 Stories of 2020 | Regenerative Food Systems Investment

2020 was quite a year.

It brought with it challenges that most had never seen before and that our agricultural sector certainly has never had to navigate at this scale. We saw farmers lose markets for their crops – forcing some to destroy them, supply chains crumble, and businesses across our communities shut down.

But despite all this, we also witnessed the ability of our system to endure.

Faced with a global pandemic, broken supply chains, and a deepening awareness of systemic inequities, people and operations across the food system adapted to new market situations, pivoted entire teams and businesses, and transformed into new more resilient versions of themselves.

That strength and perseverance will come in handy in 2021.

There has never been a better time to invest in a more resilient food system. Throughout the chaos of 2020, agriculture and farmland have remained a strong investment as the fundamentals that drive demand for food and production capacity have only been amplified, and the opportunities to create lasting improvement toward system resilience have never been laid out so clearly as in 2020. Farmers need capital to transition to regenerative practices and to vertically integrate more value into their operations; the supply chain needs more processing and transportation infrastructure for regeneratively produced crops and livestock; tech and food start-ups need investment to expand their reach and potential; and research funding is needed to better understand the connections between the management of crops and ecological and climate well-being, and between the health of our soil and the health of our food. These are only a few of the opportunities that await us in 2021.

For the Regenerative Food Systems Investment team, 2020 was about finding new paths in an entirely new landscape to deliver on the same mission. We are so appreciative of the support from our community and the willingness to continue to learn and engage in new ways.

As we look to 2021, one quote in particular stands out to us, “We cannot force someone to hear a message they are not ready to receive, but we must never underestimate the power of planting a seed” (unknown author). In the next year, our team will do its best to continue to work with agriculture, food, and investment communities, planting seeds in the immensely fertile ground that was laid in 2020, and helping all to identify and capitalize on the enormous opportunities that lie ahead.

We look forward to sharing new projects with you in 2021! Until then, we say goodbye to 2020 and wish you a very Happy New Year!

Sarah Day Levesque
Director
Regenerative Food Systems Investment

Keri Hayes
Operations Lead
Regenerative Food Systems Investment