Aligning investment and finance decisions is critical to kickstart a transition to agroecology.

Farmers can be a force for change, but what are investors looking for and how can policy and market frameworks support bold moves? What does supportive finance look like for farmers trying to access new investment or new environmental services markets as part of viable farm businesses? And what role can the UK’s financial institutions play in this?

We are hosting an in-person discussion and Q&A at the Oxford Read Farming Conference.

Chair:

Tony Greenham, FFCC Finance Director and Executive Director at South West Mutual

Finance Director at the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission and Executive Director at South West Mutual. South West Mutual is a regional mutual currently developing a loan fund to support food and farming businesses transition toward nature-friendly and low carbon practices. Tony is also an adviser to Liontrust Asset Management and a Senior Fellow of the Finance Innovation Lab.

Speakers:

Helen Avery, Director of Nature Programmes and GFI Hive, GFI

• The Institute also hosts the Secretariat for the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures and Helen oversees the convening of the TNFD’s UK National Consultation Group. Helen oversees initiatives to mobilise private capital into nature restoration. She was previously Sustainable Finance Editor at Euromoney, spearheading the magazine's coverage of social, environmental and conservation finance. Her passion lies in working with those bringing practical solutions to biodiversity loss, climate change and inequality.

Rohit Kaushish, Chief Economics Adviser, NFU

• Rohit overseas a team of economists, statisticians and rural experts to develop and communicate the economic policy of the NFU. Key policy areas include EU exit, domestic agricultural policy and environmental policy – including natural capital, net zero, environmental markets and the Environmental Land Management Scheme.

Tom Dyke, Corporate Finance Manager at Triodos Bank.

• Tom joined Triodos Bank at the start of 2019 and has 10 years of corporate finance and commercial experience in UK financial services and renewable energy industries. Since joining Triodos he has focused on delivering the team’s nature-based solutions advisory work and has worked on variety of projects including the Wyre Catchment NFM project and the Poole Harbour Nutrient Management Scheme.

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