A few days ago I let off some steam here about big food corporations giving $ to #nonprofits instead of paying #farmers more for #regenerativeagriculture. I got some great responses - and in some of those realized a need to clarify my message. This thread is for that.

Specifically, I saw one too many flashy "news" stories about big #food companies "advancing" #regenerativeagriculture by giving large sums of $ to nonprofits for #farmer training WHILE refusing to pay farmers actually doing regenerative any more than those that don't

I was also sick and tired of seeing large #environmental #nonprofits who opposed a market force for what is now called #regenerativeagriculture now raise lots of $ with donors to solve #climatechange by storing carbon on the farm.

Twitter is, of course, not designed for nuance - and while I don't regret shining a light on the need to change WHO is getting $ to actually make a difference on the land . . . I did want to acknowledge that there are some great #nonprofits out there that really do help #farmers

Specifically, @Notillorg does a fantastic job of providing both educational opportunities and helping farmers get funding to try new things on their land. The difference between an organization like this vs the new #soilhealth gurus offering a 2-day course is worth recognizing.

Getting to learn from an amazing #soilhealth expert/farmer is a great thing - but it is only the beginning. No two pieces of land are exactly alike. There is no one-size-fits all farming -- so when making change - there needs to be a sustained support system

Part of that support system comes from places like @Notillorg, peer groups run by folks like @Rhizoterra and & hopefully, from places like @ourgroundedgrow where farmers can help each other while also connecting to parts of the supply chain they otherwise wouldn't meet.

The larger point I was trying to drive home is that educational resources are great - but providing $ for education WHILE ALSO refusing to pay a premium for a premium ingredient and then claiming credit with consumers for expanding #regenerativeagriculture is misleading.

If a food company wants to be seen as a market leader in this space -- wants consumers to feel like buying from them is supporting farmers -- then actually support farmers in the way it matters most -- by paying them

Many push back on this to me saying farmers shouldn't do it just for the money - or - farmers save money by going regenerative -- and THAT'S their reward. But I think it is important to push back on this way of thinking.

Regenerative farmers can provide 3x the value (or more) compared to the average commodity stream version of their crop -- more nutrient dense crop, provable environmental benefits for climate, water, wildlife and the marketing value to the brand that taps into these outcomes

So why on earth should it be acceptable to not reward that additional value WHILE claiming credit for it? If a food company's answer is "consumers won't pay for it" -- then don't claim credit for it.

In the end, I'm so passionate about paying #farmers FAIRLY for the value they provide not just because I'm the granddaughter of farmers who struggled their whole lives on the farm -- but because the only hope of scaling up the promise of #regenerativeagriculture comes from this

I hope this provides a little more clarity -- and I hope that the #food companies that want to claim credit for the amazing work being done on the ground will stop deciding that it's admirable to pay essentially anyone BUT the #farmer for that value. #agriculture