Regenerative Food and Farming - Why Philanthropy is Needed

Greenhouse Communications reports on our funder event in June at Waddesdon to engage philanthropy.

Last month, the Rothschild Foundation and the Environmental Funders Network (EFN) hosted an event for funders at Waddesdon to explore how philanthropy can support regenerative food and farming systems in the UK.

It followed a critical announcement at COP28, to set a new global goal to transition to resilient, viable food production in harmony with nature by 2040. In the UK, where 70% of the land is used for farming, an estimated 53% of the country’s biodiversity loss has been caused by agriculture.  This could be reversed by regenerative practices.

The day included a farm tour of the Waddesdon Estate, lunch, and an afternoon of talks and discussions with funders, farmers, business pioneers, and grantees leading the change.

The event was overwhelmingly positive, with the day’s energy, networking and lively discussion continuing into the EFN’s retreat the following week and beyond.  Funders said they want to collaborate, to share learning and establish a strategic funding network to accelerate regenerative food and farming at scale.

Here are the highlights from the day:

A call to action for philanthropy

Dame Hannah Rothschild, Chair of the Rothschild Foundation, introduced the afternoon’s talks, setting out the foundation’s mission: to drive positive change and meaningful impact for future generations, and confirming its commitment to build a deeper focus on regenerative food and farming. ‘Philanthropy has the power and responsibility to seek solutions and we are here to discuss what we can do together,’ she said. 

Personal Insights: Alasdair MacLeod

Keynote speaker Alasdair MacLeod, founder of the Macdoch Foundation, shared his personal journey into regenerative farming and the establishment of his foundation in Australia. He had seen firsthand the catastrophic effect of drought and climate change on his family farm.  Across global leadership, he is seeing an enormous growth in interest in how we grow our food, steward our landscapes, and support communities.

Why does he believe philanthropy is needed? Because it can provide the high-risk capital needed to drive change, targeting impact without expecting returns.

MacLeod’s comprehensive approach sets out to:

• Build the economic case for regenerative farming
• Demonstrate that farming with nature is a viable business for farmers
• Support peer-to-peer learning and farmer education
• Facilitate market access for regenerative products
• Integrate Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge
• Create supportive global policy frameworks
• Set up mechanisms to finance the transition

Global Perspective

Patrick Holden and Adele Jones from the Sustainable Food Trust discussed their international mission to accelerate the transition to sustainable and regenerative food systems. They emphasised the importance of engaging business leaders and developing a clear set of common metrics for sustainable farming practices, to align international efforts to measure impact and drive accountability.

Green Grants Gap – the Funding Landscape

Florence Miller from the Environmental Funders Network gave an overview of the funding landscape for regenerative agriculture in the UK, revealing a significant gap. She shared exclusive data from the forthcoming Where the Green Grants Report 9 which shows that:

• Although environmental giving has grown substantially in recent years less than 10% of green grants support ‘agriculture and food’
• And only half of this is spent in the UK
• Grants are small, the median value is under £10,000
• And large-scale, long-term funding is lacking

How could philanthropy ‘grow the pie’?  Key questions to consider:

• Why should funders be interested in regenerative agriculture?
• Who are the right funders to target?
• What would we like them to fund?
• How do we make the case for support? Aligned strategies? Shared pitch decks?

Strategic Philanthropy – what funders have learned

‘Funders must recognise the potential of regenerative farming to achieve environmental goals and support systemic change.’

‘We won’t win the case through a narrow climate lens.’

‘Funding needs to be long-term.’

Liam McAleese from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation emphasised the importance of farmer-to-farmer networks, policy and advocacy work, long-term funding. With a focus on soil, water and sustainable farming, their nature-friendly farming strategy supports 55 projects, including markets and community-led initiatives.

Thomas Legge, European Climate Foundation, set out their collaborative, Europe-wide approach to funding strategic, long-term initiatives focussed on land use and food systems change and aligning efforts across borders.  ‘We won’t win the case through a narrow climate lens’ he said, and building public and political mandates for change are key to addressing the polarisation between farming and the environment.

Darren Chin from the Aurora and Mark Leonard Trusts highlighted their focus on bridging the gap between agricultural research and practical farming needs. ‘There is no ‘shared language’ between farmers and researchers’ he said, so this is a critical area which needs funding and support. Their grants support for farmer-to-farmer learning, higher education and early-stage ventures.

Ellie Stout and Fiona Gately from the Rothschild Foundation, set out how it supports regenerative food and farming projects at Waddesdon, in the local community and at national scale. They outlined the new strategy they are developing to support adoption of regenerative agriculture at scale.  This will focus on farmer networks and knowledge exchange; connecting farmers to research and innovation; and building the evidence base and business models for good practice. ‘Funders should recognise the potential of regenerative farming to achieve environmental goals,’ Ellie said.  Building on the Rothschild Foundation’s history of convening, ‘we want to help bring together a larger community of funders, and see if we can collaborate to enable large-scale, longer-term change programmes.’

Bonnie Hewson from Farming the Future spoke about the value of collaborative approaches and participatory grant-making. Their pooled fund is focussed on agroecology, and we heard how they have worked to strengthen, grow and connect the movement using trust based philanthropy.

Farming Today – the Existential Challenges

Charlotte Smith set out the challenges for Britain’s farmers which she sees through her work as a presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today.  Top of the list are post-Brexit policy changes, uncertain farm payments and high input costs which, with the severe flooding experienced this winter, have impacted farmer confidence.  She believes that supporting farmers through advocacy and peer networks such as NFFN and Groundswell and making the economic case for nature-friendly farming will be essential for advancing regenerative practices.

Grantee Changemakers - Advice for Funders

Our panel of advocates and grantees shared their experiences and learnings on regenerative farming:

• Support farmers’ voices and advocacy
• Support initiatives that foster knowledge and collaboration among farmers
• Consider funding social investment to accelerate change
• Collaborative efforts can tackle systems change
• This can’t be done without flexible, long-term core funding

‘If you don’t go green, you’ll be in the red’ was the message from Martin Lines, Nature Friendly Farming Network, who emphasised the importance of improving soil health and integrating nature into farming.   He made an urgent call for funding and policy advocacy to support farmers’ voices with the new government.

Alex Cherry from Groundswell Festival highlighted its role in fostering curiosity and collaboration among farmers and shared their five principles of regen ag on a tea towel.

Robert Fraser from the Real Farming Trust discussed innovative funding through LEAP (Loans for Enlightened Agriculture Programme) and the benefits of social investment to support regenerative businesses.

Sue Pritchard from the Food Farming and Countryside Commission, whose work includes development of the Land Use Framework, finance for farmers and building the citizen voice for food systems change, called for funder investment in policy advocacy and collaboration.

What next?

The event concluded with a call for collaboration among funders to maximise impact. The overarching message was clear: collaborative efforts, shared learning, and strategic funding are essential for advancing regenerative food and farming systems at scale.

The energy, networking and lively discussion through the day continued into the EFN’s retreat the following week and beyond.

Feedback from funders during and after the event confirmed that they see the potential to get involved in supporting regenerative agriculture.  Several organisations are now discussing the potential for collaborative funding and a funder network.

Additional notes from the day - Charting the path forward

If you’d like more detail on feedback during and after the day, read on…

Our feedback survey said that:

• 92% of attendees see the potential for funders to get more involved in supporting the transition to regenerative agriculture,
• Their greatest interest was in funding farmer knowledge and advice
• 78% were interested in joining a network of funders
• And 64% in collaborative funding
• Everyone said that the conversations in the room and networking were the most valuable part of the event

On the day, these are the things attendees said they believe would help move forward together:

Key areas of focus

• Mapping expertise: Identifying and mapping current funders, expertise, and NGOs involved in regenerative agriculture to understand the landscape and identify gaps.
• Unified vision: Establishing a shared ambition and vision for philanthropy within the regenerative farming sector to streamline efforts and amplify impact.
• Financial case: Developing compelling financial and business cases for farmers, funders, investors, and policymakers to support the transition.
• Convening and collaboration: Exploring collaborative pooled funds and establishing operating principles for convenings, including farmer participation.

Priorities to drive the transition

• Peer learning Networks: Supporting farmer-led networks and field labs through peer-to-peer learning to foster innovation and best practices. Farmer knowledge and advice was identified as the top area that attendees were interested in funding.
• Advocacy and public engagement: Amplifying the voices of farmers and citizens in advocacy efforts to influence policy and drive systemic change was the second most popular area of interest.
• Financial and business support: Providing financial and business support to farmers in transition to ensure their success and sustainability came up as an area of interest.

What effective collaboration looks like

• Network groups and task forces: Creating network and task-focused action groups to drive collective action and focus on specific issues.
• Regenerative farming database: Developing or signposting towards a comprehensive database and directory of support for farmers to facilitate resource access and knowledge sharing.
• Regular events: Hosting regular collaboration events and meetings on farms to maintain momentum and foster continuous learning and adaptation.

Greenhouse Communications moderated the afternoon discussions and coordinated the feedback and reporting for the event.