Case Study
Green Farm Collective
Farm facts
About the business:
Founded in late 2020 by six soil and sustainability award-winning farmers, and launched at Groundswell, in June 2021. The GFC is a community of farmers focused on natural capital and regenerative farming practices. It brings in ethical businesses and individuals who want to invest in farmers, their practices and environmental outputs.
Working with farmers
The common goal is to encourage more farmers to follow sustainable farming practices, and to reap the rewards that accrue. Farmer members must commit to an ethos that embraces the principles of regenerative agriculture, including minimum soil disturbance.
GFC farms use Sandy to monitor and measure carbon and biodiversity. They also have the option of trading carbon credits with biodiversity co-benefits through Trinity Natural Capital Markets at a premium. A sense of community and connections to the natural environment are important, both between farmers and with customers.
Priorities and opportunities
Since we launched, we’ve gathered huge interest, both from farmers and those who wish to trade through us. Our objective is to deliver highest gains for farmers and bring short and long-term value to our members as they come on board. We’ve come a long way in a very short time, trading our first carbon with biodiversity co-benefits less than a year after we launched, with further trades nearing completion.
“Natural capital navigators have to give a true account. They can’t be wishy washy because farmers need to have the confidence of knowing what natural capital you have to work with. You want reliability, independence and no comebacks. From what I have seen of Trinity’s Sandy, I think it is the most robust and accurate natural capital navigator in the world.”
Lessons learned and outlook
We work hard to improve our soil, the biodiversity and habitats on our farms. We hope that our community approach will help people learn about regenerative and nature friendly farming. When we launched GFC, we set out with a belief that the way we farm will deliver new income streams for those committed to it.
There are several knock-on benefits we never thought about when we first set a path following regenerative agriculture. We’ve learned we can bring in new income streams, independent of traditional markets, and Sandy puts the science and credibility behind our unique market position