PORTLAND, OR - Investments in regenerative management practices have clearly paid off for Agriculture Capital (AC), as evidenced in its fifth annual Impact Report. The report outlines how AC has had positive effects on the environment and the community, further demonstrating the company’s prowess in quantifying food system impact.
In the past year, which presented countless challenges, Agriculture Capital established coordinated risk assessment and oversight, including best practices to secure the health and safety of AC teams, ensure business continuity, provide service to customers in the context of significant supply chain disruptions, and mitigate ongoing environmental, social, and governance risks. This collaboration has been key to the organization’s successes in 2020, a press release noted.
In 2020, Agriculture Capital was reportedly more productive, growing and selling more healthy, organic, and responsibly produced food; sequestering more atmospheric carbon; producing more food per drop of water; and sustaining more wild pollinator vitality. The results further demonstrate the benefits of regenerative practices on performance.
Significant reduction in energy and water use includes:
- Since 2018, energy use decreased per pound of crop produced by 37 percent for citrus and 46 percent for blueberries
- Over 2.8 billion gallons of water are being conserved across AC businesses each year, the same as the annual use of about 36,000 people across California and Oregon
- At Columbine Vineyards, water use decreased almost 38 percent between 2017 and 2020, while net crop production over that same period increased 14 percent. This marks an overall water efficiency improvement of nearly 82 percent
Wild pollinators and beneficial insects appeared to boost blueberry yields as well:
- On AC’s Oregon blueberry farms, a 9x increase in wild pollinator species abundance and 2.5x increase in beneficial insect abundance was observed since 2016
- Early assessment methodologies suggest yield boost from wild pollinators conservation efforts
Increased soil organic matter is also supporting water resilience, as AC is creating steady increases in organic matter across its Oregon blueberry operations, ultimately holding more water in the soil for crop use.
Building on Agriculture Capital’s proprietary AC Way regenerative impact framework, the 2020 Impact Report introduces goals such as operating all facilities as zero waste facilities, net zero carbon verticals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, running zero-toxic businesses, and with zero plastics involved in AC crop verticals. Net positive imperatives will serve as critical North Stars to guide AC’s regenerative management and strategic aspirations through 2030.
The full report can be found here.
We extend our thanks to Agriculture Capital for this important work in ensuring the longevity of our food system.
