Vertical Farming
Mikhail Berkut – stock.adobe.com
Katie Mack, Chief Operating Officer, Sorenson Impact Institute
While our globalized food system has obvious benefits that we see on grocery store shelves—fresh red strawberries no matter the season, or flash-frozen seafood available thousands of miles from water—it's so convenient to have seasonal and local ingredients available wherever we are that we often overlook its negative effects.
The list of drawbacks is long: monocultures deplete soils, cause biodiversity loss, complex, oil-intensive supply chains, produce bred to withstand long truck journeys rather than taste or nutrition. But no matter how challenging, there are solutions. Shifting to global agricultural practices that feed people around the world while helping to regenerate the planet will require a combination of regenerative solutions, innovation, and the right kind and amount of financing.
Recently, I experienced firsthand some of the challenges of the complex food supply chain during a month-long local food challenge. The experience made me feel a stronger connection to the land where my family's food comes from and the people who produce it. However, I didn't anticipate the extensive time it takes to source and prepare the ingredients for my meals. The lessons I learned from this month-long challenge were personal for me and my family, but they also highlighted the challenges our food and agriculture system poses and the ripple effects it has on our social and environmental health.
Through my work at the Sorenson Impact Institute, I have the opportunity to learn from leaders in the food and agriculture sector who are pursuing more sustainable and regenerative food and agriculture systems. Renee Vasilos, director of agricultural innovation at The Nature Conservancy, works with early-stage technology companies looking to scale and accelerate regenerative agriculture practices. She admits to being “a bit obsessed with soil” and sees the soil microbiome as “the most impactful part of our ecosystem.”
“The introduction of cover crops and the reintroduction of trees (agroforestry), to name just two examples, increase the cost and complexity of agricultural systems,” says Vasilos. “This complexity, plus increased labor constraints, necessitates the development of tools to make them more cost-effective.”
Heather Terry, founder and CEO of GoodSAM Foods, makes it a priority to build direct relationships with farmers around the world to produce fair-sourced chocolate, coffee, nuts, and other snacks. GoodSAM Foods has developed a people-centered approach that respects time-honored practices, Terry says.
“We prioritize building trust on the ground and working closely with communities to meet their needs and foster growth,” she says. “Understanding cultural practices and maintaining ecological balance benefits all parties involved, from the farmers who plant the seeds to the end consumers.”
Terry and Vasilos will join me at the 2024 Sorenson Impact Summit to discuss these topics with over 200 like-minded impact practitioners and thought leaders, where Terry and Vasilos will share more about their impact-driven work and their hopes for the future of our food and agriculture systems.
How is your company supporting the expansion and acceleration of regenerative agriculture practices to help transform global food systems?
Heather Terry: GoodSAM operates exclusively in regenerative agriculture systems in eight countries around the world. We source all commercially viable crops from these farms, striving to ensure farmers have an income year-round. This diverse sourcing strategy allows us to offer a wide range of products rather than being limited to one type of crop. GoodSAM products can be found in the nut, coffee, fruit and chocolate aisles of thousands of grocery stores across the United States.
Renee Vasilos: The Nature Conservancy's Agriculture Innovation team manages a pool of venture capital that has invested in early-stage agricultural technology companies focused on the goal of improving soil health and the necessary large-scale transition to regenerative production systems. Our investment thesis is focused on identifying solutions that have the potential to scale up one or more practices that scientific research has demonstrated to be effective in achieving regenerative agricultural systems, such as the use of cover crops or crop rotations, reducing soil destruction from tillage, or optimizing fertilizer and fertilizer inputs.
How does your work help foster partnerships with growers and agricultural businesses and expand their knowledge and experience?
Heather Terry: At GoodSAM Foods, partnerships are our lifeblood. We don't just operate a supply chain, we foster a dynamic supply network built on knowledge sharing and mutual benefit for all parties involved. Our approach is centered around collaboration, leveraging the expertise and insights of our farmers to address key issues like yield optimization, soil health, biodiversity and climate change. Together, we work toward sustainable solutions that benefit all involved.
Renee Vasilos: When The Nature Conservancy looks at scientific research on how to build resilient agricultural production systems, what's needed is bringing in complexity. The introduction of cover crops and the reintroduction of trees (agroforestry), to give two examples, add cost and complexity to agricultural systems.
This complexity, combined with growing labor constraints, necessitates the development of tools that make implementing these practices on farms cost-effective, or even profitable in the most ideal world. To achieve this, we need new tools that leverage the most promising technologies. For example, to drive the transition to regenerative production systems, we need tools that require less labor and introduce artificial intelligence into farm operations.
The Nature Conservancy's Agriculture Innovation Strategy is focused on investing in and piloting innovative tools that have the potential to bring positive environmental impact and profitability to farm operations through the adoption of regenerative agricultural production practices.
Can you give us an example of a challenge you or your partners have faced in your efforts to advance regenerative agriculture practices, and how you have addressed or plan to address that challenge?
Heather Terry: One of our biggest challenges is [regenerative] Certification. While certification itself is beneficial and in some cases we support it, we find that the process is more complicated when it comes to regenerative agriculture. This complexity arises from the tendency of large organizations to impose their own standards on small farmers and indigenous communities who have been practicing regenerative agriculture for decades, or even centuries. Because these communities have been using sustainable practices for so long, external certification is often unnecessary and cumbersome.
Standards are essential in places like the United States, where ecosystems are fragile due to agricultural subsidies and large-scale agriculture. But smallholder farmers and indigenous peoples in the Global South face a different reality. Here, certification often reflects a colonial mindset, forcing practices onto people who already embody regenerative principles. Moreover, the costs associated with certification are prohibitively high for these communities.
We believe we cannot fully support these efforts until the certification process is globally representative and provides a way to cover the costs for small and indigenous farmers. Instead, we keep detailed records through an auditing system that is accepted by all GoodSAM retail partners. This approach allows us to support farmers in continuous improvement.
Regeneration is an ongoing journey, not a fixed goal: it requires constant effort and adaptation, and we are committed to fostering this spirit of endless improvement.
Renee Vasilos: One of the challenges the Nature Conservancy team identified is the financial risk of implementing regenerative agriculture practices into farm and ranch operations. To address this challenge, we've invested in agricultural fintech company Growers Edge to pilot a crop guarantee program that reduces the risk of implementing these practices. The Nature Conservancy is working with Growers Edge to apply the program to crop introduction and nutrient management with their Crop Plan Warranty. Backed by detailed financial and crop insurance data, the guarantee underwrites the risks of farm operations, providing the financial peace of mind to make changes.
Can you provide an example of how your organization is working to drive effective, adaptable, and scalable systemic change that is needed in the field of regenerative agriculture?
Heather Terry: The way supply networks are built is the same for every organization on the planet. Larger companies and multinational corporations often overlook the importance of integrating with local communities and cultures to get positive results. At GoodSAM, we prioritize building trusting relationships on the ground and working closely with each community to meet their needs and foster growth. Understanding cultural practices and maintaining ecological balance benefits all parties involved, from the farmer who plants the seeds to the end consumer.
Adapting to climate change and ensuring a stable food supply are ongoing challenges that food companies must address. To overcome these issues, we believe in working with farmers, learning from their experiences and respecting their traditions. This approach is not about fancy technology, it's about meaningful human relationships and respect for time-honored practices. Working together, we can create sustainable solutions that benefit all involved.
