Regenerative agriculture could gain access to new £10 million government fund

Farms aiming to convert to regenerative agriculture could be eligible for a new £10 million fund to help them to benefit the environment and attract private sector investment, announced by the Government last week.

The Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund will provide grants of up to £100,000 each to qualifying organisations. They can use the grants to develop projects which benefit the natural environment in England, to a point where they can then attract private investment. For farms moving towards a regenerative approach, this could be a vital boost towards incorporating Green Finance onto their business model.

The pioneering fund, which is being delivered by the Environment Agency on behalf of Defra, will also deliver specialist advice to organisations and help them to engage with potential investors.

The regenagri program assists farms in unlocking the financial benefits of regenerative agriculture by providing a route to environmental grants, such as the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund, and to Carbon Credit markets. Through regenagri farmers can assess their practices against regenerative criteria, develop an improvement plan and measure their achievements overtime. Additionally, through the validation of their greenhouse gas reductions farms can release funds from the sale of Carbon Credits.  

Dr Rhian-Mari Thomas OBE, Chief Executive, Green Finance Institute, said:

There are many important nature-based projects that, with technical assistance and catalytic funding, could meet investor requirements and demand, and secure the private capital to help them achieve their missions. The NEIRF will serve as an essential bridge, as well as providing an example of how to build an investment pipeline for nature.