Sustainable Food and Agriculture
Our relationship with the soil and the earth requires a holistic approach that balances our responsibility to the earth’s natural resources and the needs of current and future generations.
Impact strategy
Today's global challenges
We consume more natural resources than the earth can provide. This global overuse, driven by a short-term consumerist mindset, leads to natural resource depletion, such as declining soil fertility and a loss of biodiversity, and decreased resilience in the supply chains of food and other consumer products.
In the coming years, agriculture will face an unprecedented confluence of pressures, including a substantial increase in the global population, intensifying need and competition for increasingly scarce land and water, and the impact of climate change. This will affect all life.
These challenges call for a much-needed transition to sustainable production and consumption. This urgency is also anchored in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); if the global population reaches 9.6 billion by 2050, the equivalent of almost three planets will be required to sustain current lifestyles.
Our mission
We aim to accelerate the transition to more sustainable agricultural systems and consumption patterns by financing businesses across the supply chain that safeguard nature, promote fairness and transparency, improve livelihoods of farmers and encourage mindful consumption.
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Why invest?
We invest in companies across the supply chain in several countries, from (agricultural) production and processing to wholesaling and retailing. They are all key actors in transforming the food and farming systems as well as in empowering people to make sustainable consumption choices.
The open-end structure of our funds and the diversity of financial instruments are tuned to the needs of the companies we invest in. This allows us to build lasting relationships and support companies over the long term.
A diverse portfolio of three funds - Triodos Organic Growth Fund, Triodos Groenfonds, and Triodos Sustainable Trade Fund - with a total of EUR 211 million invested in 212 companies across 22 countries. The strategy is managed by an experienced investment team with a deep understanding of the dynamics in the sector.
Impact goals
1. Promote organic farming and renewable sourcing and catalyse fair and transparent business practices;
2. Increase consumer awareness and the market share of organic food and sustainable consumer goods;
3. Demonstrate viability of investing in sustainable food and agriculture and in responsible consumption, with a long-term approach.
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Investment approach
Through our Sustainable Food and Agriculture strategy, our investment funds offer a range of financial instruments to companies active across the international supply chain that demonstrate a deep-rooted commitment to environmental and social performance:
Long-term mission-aligned private capital
Triodos Organic Growth Fund provides long-term mission aligned private capital to leading European organic food and sustainable consumer businesses, thereby safeguarding their independence, entrepreneurship and mission. The fund also holds active board membership;
Innovative trade finance
Triodos Sustainable Trade Fund provides loans that assist farmer cooperatives and other agricultural companies in Latin America, Africa and Asia in accessing international markets, thereby enabling fair and immediate payment to small-scale farmers while stimulating sustainable agriculture;
Long-term debt
Both Triodos Sustainable Trade Fund and Triodos Groenfonds offer long-term debt to organic agricultural businesses – both in emerging economies and in the Netherlands, respectively.
Foundations and partnerships
In addition to managing two investments funds that are open to institutional and retail investors respectively (Triodos Organic Growth Fund and Triodos Groenfonds) Triodos IM manages the Triodos Sustainable Trade Fund.
Triodos Sustainable Trade Fund
Triodos Sustainable Trade Fund aims to improve the economic situation of farmers and promote sustainable agriculture in developing countries. The foundation, established in 2008, provides trade finance loans to co-operatives and private companies operating in sustainable agricultural value chains, and has a specific focus on organic agriculture and fair practices.
Download the latest annual report here
Download the Triodos Sustainable Trade Fund leaflet
Meet the leaders of the Sustainable Food and Agriculture team
Investing across sectors
Some of our funds invest in multiple strategies across sectors. Triodos Groenfonds has investments in Energy and Climate, Sustainable Food and Agriculture, and Sustainable Real Estate.
Read our stories
How we make a difference in sustainable food, agriculture, and consumption
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Discover the impact of Triodos Organic Growth Fund in 2016
Go to report