Food and Sustainable Agriculture
/Philanthropic giving for sustainable agriculture and transformation of food systems is still a niche cause. But it’s quickly gaining traction in light of concerns around climate change, environmental justice, public health and plant and animal biodiversity. With conventional agriculture and other aspects of food production responsible for somewhere between a quarter and a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, there’s a growing sense of urgency to funding food and sustainable agriculture efforts that are healthier for the planet and all its people. This guide offers advice about how funders can contribute to nonprofit food and sustainable agriculture initiatives in the United States, highlights leading philanthropic strategies, and offers guidance for how donors new to this space can get started with giving.
Strategies for Impact
Access to healthy food should be a basic human right. But too many people lack access to fresh, wholesome food. In addition, the U.S. and other nations need to increase regenerative agriculture practices and reduce dependency on animal protein sources to mitigate climate change. Below, we discuss areas where donors might focus their funding and spotlight organizations that represent the kind of nonprofits that donors might consider supporting.
Back equity-oriented grassroots movements. For the sake of people and the planet, the way we grow, produce and distribute food needs to be transformed. There are nonprofits working on the front lines of food insecurity and environmental injustice to create more equitable and sustainable food systems, and donors can support this transformative work. As just a few examples: The Food Chain Workers Alliance is a national coalition that works to build a more sustainable food system that respects workers’ rights and in which everyone has access to healthy and affordable food. The Alliance for Fair Food is a national network that partners with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), an internationally recognized group that fights for the human rights of farmworkers in Florida. CIW has pioneered a worker-led approach to protecting human rights in corporate supply chains. Through education and advocacy, the National Black Farmers Association supports African American farmers, who have historically been denied government subsidies and loans, which escalated Black land loss, focusing on civil rights, land retention, access to loans, education and agricultural training, and rural economic development for Black farmers and other small-scale farmers.
Center sustainability. Regenerative agriculture is the practice of approaching agriculture from a holistic point of view rather than an extractionist or industrialist one. Regenerative agriculture focuses on things like building healthy soil, increasing biodiversity, and climate resilience. Many Indigenous peoples are regenerative agriculture’s foremost practitioners. There are many kinds of nonprofits that donors can support in this space. To name just a few examples: The Agroecology Fund is a pooled fund that supports biodiverse and regenerative agriculture projects worldwide, including Indigenous food sovereignty initiatives. Dream of Wild Health runs a farm outside of Minneapolis which includes an Indigenous CSA program and farmers’ market. The Indigenous Food Network is a collective of partner organizations that advocate for local and regional changes. In Salinas, California, ALBA (Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association) offers farmer education and organic farm incubation for mostly Latinx immigrant farmworkers, helping them advance their careers or pursue the dream of running their own sustainable farms, while creating a more equitable and environmentally sustainable agriculture sector.
Consider plant-based alternatives. Feeding Americans in a way that doesn’t exacerbate the climate crisis requires a more plant-based approach to eating. The trend toward more plants and fewer animal-derived products on people’s plates is made possible, in part, through a mixture of research, movement-building and philanthropy. The Good Food Institute is a nonprofit think tank and international network of organizations working to accelerate alternative protein innovation. Farm Forward works to end factory farming of animals and create more sustainable food systems. New Harvest is a California-based, global, donor-funded research institute advancing the science behind cultured meat. The Food Empowerment Project advocates for a vegan and plant-based diet, raising awareness of the ethical and social issues surrounding food, including workers’ rights, environmental sustainability, racism, social justice, and unequal access to healthy food.
Insights and Advice
In considering which strategies to support to make maximum impact in the field of food and sustainable agriculture, donors should take into account their personal interests and outlook to find the best fit. They should also keep an eye out for emerging opportunities. Here, we offer a few insights and suggestions:
Find a focus. Few food and sustainable agriculture funders try to address the entire vast field. Instead, most focus on a particular issue or geographic region. What aspect of food and sustainable agriculture are you passionate about, or where do you have knowledge or a personal connection to the issue? Are you most concerned about feeding people well or protecting a warming planet? Do you want to fund local or global efforts? The answers to these questions will help you find food and sustainable agriculture programs to support. There are nonprofits working on every aspect of food and sustainable agriculture almost everywhere — in cities, small towns and rural communities. Focusing on an area that matters to you will help you find the right nonprofits for your contributions.
Don’t go it alone. Intermediaries and philanthropy-serving organizations can do a huge amount of the leg work of identifying opportunities in the field, and getting involved with one of these groups is a great way for donors to save time and give more effectively. Notable groups in the food and sustainable agriculture area include Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders, Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, Agroecology Fund, Native American Agriculture Fund and Transformational Investing in Food Systems, an impact network dedicated to building a movement for just and sustainable food systems. There are also regional groups working in many areas, such as Fresh Taste, a network of Midwest grantmakers that launched the Chicago Region Food System Fund, and California Foodshed Funders.
Take a holistic approach. Food systems and sustainable agriculture are interrelated with many issues, including health, hunger, pollution, climate change, environmental justice and factory farming. As you get a grasp of the social, economic and political impacts of food and agriculture, you might seek out nonprofits that are working at these intersections and addressing food and sustainable agriculture in a holistic way.
Give flexible funding for the long haul. Multi-year, general operating support is a best practice in trust-based philanthropy because it provides nonprofits sustained funding they can count on to make long-term plans, as well as flexibility to use funds as needed to respond to crises and emergent opportunities.
For Donors Getting Started
Donors who are new to this space should take the time to learn about the landscape. A good place to start is by searching IP for recent coverage on giving for food and sustainable agriculture. Donors may also be interested in our State of American Philanthropy brief on Giving for Conservation, Pollution Mitigation, and Agriculture. Donors concerned about factory farming can take a look at IP’s State of American Philanthropy brief on Giving for Animals and Wildlife. Funders concerned with hunger and food insecurity might also read our brief on Giving for Poverty and Economic Inequality.
To find charities working on food and sustainable agriculture that are well respected, Charity Navigator is a reputable place to search for worthy organizations around the country.
The best way to get started giving for food and sustainable agriculture is to make some initial gifts, get to know the work of the groups you’re supporting, and connect early with a funding intermediary that can help you learn more about this area and increase your giving in a thoughtful way.
Have suggestions for improving this brief? Please email us at editor@insidephilanthropy.com.
