Growing Returns

Selected tag(s): conservation finance

We need a new financial model to address California’s most pressing environmental problems

By Ann Hayden / Bio / Published: December 3, 2018

This post was co-authored by Ann Hayden of Environmental Defense Fund, Katie Riley of Environmental Incentives, and John Cain of American Rivers

Over the coming decade, the state of California will spend billions of dollars to restore habitat to protect endangered species and mitigate infrastructure improvements. But many existing institutions have been stuck in a project-by-project funding model that limits their ability to leverage private capital, integrate different funding sources or even ensure their desired outcomes are achieved.

Without private capital or partnerships, good conservation projects risk getting stuck in the development and permitting stages for decades, or even stalling out indefinitely. This is particularly true for conservation of large landscapes.

Fortunately, a new approach to conserving habitat is building momentum in California that includes proponents beyond just environmentalists. The private sector is taking on more restoration projects, and state agency staff are showing a greater willingness than ever to leverage private sector partnerships and deliver results more quickly. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged American Rivers, california, ecosystems, Newsom, Partnerships, western water | Comments are closed

This partnership between environmentalists and corn growers is breaking new ground

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: November 14, 2018

Throughout Environmental Defense Fund’s history and my nearly two decades of working on our agriculture team, collaborations with unlikely allies have proven to be a powerful, necessary way to unleash transformative sustainability solutions.

It’s in that spirit that EDF has partnered with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), which represents the interests of more than 300,000 corn farmers, to address one of the most pressing challenges facing our food and agriculture system – how to improve environmental outcomes while optimizing crop productivity and economic performance.

This partnership marks the first time an environmental nonprofit and commodity crop association have joined forces at this scope and scale. Here’s how it came about and what we’ve committed to tackle together. Read More »

Posted in Supply Chain / Also tagged National Corn Growers Association, Partnerships, precision agriculture, sustainable agriculture | Read 1 Response

Farmers open their books to show financial impact of conservation

By Maggie Monast / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: April 17, 2018

Farm accountants have a lot more to offer than advice on how to maximize tax returns. In fact, they play a pivotal role in scaling conservation.

Environmental Defense Fund and K·Coe Isom AgKnowledge, a managerial accounting service for farmers and ranchers, teamed up with three Midwestern grain farmers to study how the adoption of conservation practices affects farm budgets.

These farmers, based in Iowa, Kansas, and Ohio, have all adopted some combination of no-till, crop rotations, cover crops and nutrient management. They were generous enough to open up their books so that AgKnowledge could analyze the financial impact of these conservation activities.

The full report will be out later this year, but initial results show how conservation can benefit farmers’ bottom lines. Here are three lessons we learned from this analysis. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged cover crops, economics, farm finance, iowa, K·Coe Isom, kansas, land value, Ohio, Partnerships, profitability, soil health, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed

3 steps to close the conservation data gap between farmers and investors

By Maggie Monast / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: December 6, 2017

Farmer Scott Henry stands in a soybean field with a tablet computer.

Sustainable agriculture must be economically viable. Photo credit: Leslie Von Pless

In addition to benefiting the environment, on-farm conservation practices tend to create economic value for farmers and surrounding communities. Anecdotal examples of these benefits abound – fertilizer efficiency saves farmers money; no-till lowers labor and fuel expenses; and buffers and wetlands reduce downstream flood risk and drinking water treatment costs.

Quantifying them, however, remains a major challenge. The resulting data gap limits broader adoption of conservation measures.

Farmers care about stewardship, but many conservation practices require large upfront investment or take too long to produce returns. At the same time, investors want to help farmers generate financial and environmental benefits, but a lack of economic data holds them back, according to a study from Encourage Capital [PDF] and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged data sharing, Datu Research, economics, Encourage Capital, farm finance, investment, National Association of Conservation Districts, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Partnerships, sustainable agriculture, USDA NRCS | Comments are closed

These farmers sparked agricultural carbon markets across the U.S.

By Robert Parkhurst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: June 14, 2017

Rice held by Jim Whitaker of Whitaker Farms. Credit: Adam Jahiel.

I want to tell you a story about a handful of growers whose commitment to sustainability and desire to innovate inspired an ag carbon credit movement.

Today, the first ever carbon credits generated from rice farmers were sold to Microsoft, all because of a handful of pioneers who tested out a radical idea – that by implementing conservation methods on their crops, farmers could reduce methane emissions and thereby generate a carbon credit that could be later be sold on the carbon market. Not to mention the fact that these farmers also reduced water use by as much as 30 percent. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market, Climate Resilience / Also tagged arkansas, california, carbon credits, CIG grant, conservation innovation grant, grasslands protocol, Microsoft, Natural Resources Conservation Service, nitrogen fertilizer management protocol, rice, rice protocol, sustainable agriculture, united states department of agriculture, USDA, USDA NRCS | Comments are closed

Impact investors eye bigger allocations to sustainable agriculture

By Rebecca Haynes / Twitter profile / Published: January 11, 2017

Impact investors eye bigger allocations to sustainable agriculture In early December, I flew out to Amsterdam to attend the Global Impact Investor Network (GIIN) Forum with 600 other delegates ranging from managers of pension funds and banks to individual investors from at least 30 countries.

Along with the growing interest in impact investing so evident at this well-attended forum, a key takeaway for me was that food and agriculture are poised to benefit. According to a 2016 survey conducted by the GIIN, more impact investors – a third of all respondents – plan to boost investment in food and agriculture than in any other sector.

As a research fellow working on market mechanisms to reward farmers who practice conservation, the survey was music to my ears. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market / Also tagged Encourage Capital, ESG investing, finance, impact investing, private capital, socially responsible investing, SRI investing, sustainable agriculture, Sustainable Development Goals, Working Lands Investment Fund | Read 2 Responses

California’s new law means more bang for every buck invested in wildlife

By Ann Hayden / Bio / Published: September 28, 2016

The Swainson's hawk was listed as a threatened species in California in 1983 due to loss of habitat and decreased numbers across the state.

The Swainson’s hawk is one of the at-risk species that AB 2087 benefits.

Prudent investors know to keep a few key things in mind. They anticipate the timing of spending priorities, like retirement, and evaluate investment risk accordingly. They might spread resources across funds to meet different objectives. And of course, they look to maximize their return on investment.

Why shouldn’t these same principles apply to investments in our natural resources?

Thanks to a new bill signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, these principles will now apply to regional conservation investment strategies for wildlife and other resource management activities in California.

AB 2087: A new approach to conservation planning and mitigation

Assembly Bill (AB) 2087 (Levine), will establish voluntary, non-regulatory strategies to help conservationists, local agencies and the state apply core investment principles when planning conservation or mitigation projects.

This legislation comes at a critical time. Expanding development in California has supported a growth in food production, flood protection, transportation and housing, but it has also resulted in various impacts on the environment. The loss and fragmentation of wildlife habitat, in particular, has created a need for the state to restore and maintain at least 600,000 acres for multiple at-risk species in the coming decades. Read More »

Posted in Habitat Exchange / Also tagged AB 2087, advance mitigation, agencies, at-risk species, california, central valley habitat exchange, Chinook salmon, conservation credits, development, endangered species, environmental defense fund, giant garter snake, habitat, habitat conservation, habitat exchange, habitat quantification tool, investment, landowners, markets, mitigation, monarch butterfly, Swainson's hawk, working lands | Comments are closed

Why investments in agricultural carbon markets make good business sense

By Sara Kroopf / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: June 1, 2016

Farmers shaking hands Over the past decade, private investment in conservation has more than doubled, with sustainable forestry and agriculture investments as the main drivers of growth. This unprecedented expansion in “impact investing” or “conservation finance” has occurred as investors seek good returns that can also benefit the environment. According to Credit Suisse, sustainable agriculture is particularly appealing to investors as it offers a wider array of risk mitigation approaches than sectors such as energy and transportation.

Yet despite this boom, there has been very little investment from private capital in emerging ecosystems markets, especially in the agricultural sector.

We’ve blogged before about the benefits growers – and the environment – realize from participating in agricultural carbon markets or habitat exchanges. But here’s why the private sector, food companies and retailers should invest in agricultural carbon markets. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market, Climate Resilience / Also tagged agricultural offset projects, agriculture, American Carbon Registry, cap and trade, carbon neutral, Carbon Offsets, climate action reserve, environmental defense fund, ESG investing, greenhouse gas, impact investing, opportunity for investment, Paris climate agreement, Partnerships, rice protocol, socially responsible investing, SRI investing, sustainable agriculture, working lands | Read 2 Responses