The Amazon and Profit
The Amazon is the world's largest tropical rainforest, covering approximately 40% of South America and hosting around 10% of known species. It is also a vital carbon sink. However, deforestation continues, largely driven by agricultural expansion, particularly cattle ranching and crop production. Protecting the Amazon therefore requires alternatives that preserve biodiversity without compromising food production or farmers' livelihoods.
However, in financially driven sectors, how can we encourage investment in nature?
Additionally, farmers are not incentivised to switch from established practices to alternative farming methods that can be riskier or require more maintenance. Agroforestry offers an alternative by combining trees with crops, generating income from agricultural products, timber, and carbon credits.
However, projects require upfront investment before delivering returns to both farmers and investors. The four organisations featured in the session demonstrated how finance, technology, and diversified production can make restoration commercially attractive.
Companies Driving Change
The session featured four organisations demonstrating how investment can support sustainable agriculture. Courageous Land, presented by CEO and co-founder Philip Kauders, develops agroforestry projects in Brazil, combining crops such as coffee, cocoa, and fruit with timber and carbon removal while working with more than 1,000 farmers. Through farmer training, AI-supported management, and market access, it aims to make agroforestry profitable.
Similarly, Farm CO₂, presented by Helene Malaurie, develops and manages agricultural investment projects. Its Amazon initiative aims to restore 10,000 hectares between 2025 and 2029 while producing cacao and removing carbon. Planting native vegetation alongside crops helps protect yields and restore biodiversity.
Symbiosis, represented by CFO Alan Batista, focuses on creating diverse forest ecosystems where trees, soil, wildlife, and people work together. Producing around 500,000 hardwood seedlings annually, it combines fast-growing species for short-term revenue with slower-growing trees for long-term value.
Finally, Traive, presented by managing partner Mauricio Fragata Quintella, addresses the lack of agricultural credit. Using data and AI to assess risk, it connects investors, suppliers, and farmers, improving access to financing. The company highlights an estimated $200 billion in unmet agricultural credit demand annually, illustrating the potential of the industry.
How It Works in Practice
The audience discussion highlighted how these models work in practice. Land is often obtained through leases or partnerships with farmers, frequently on areas previously used for cattle grazing or monoculture. Companies then establish agroforestry systems and train farmers to manage them over the long term. Rather than requiring farmers to abandon their livelihoods, this approach transforms existing farmland while maintaining agricultural production.
Risk was another central theme. Although sustainable agriculture involves uncertainty, diversification can make farms more resilient than conventional monocultures. Growing multiple crops and tree species reduces dependence on a single product, meaning that poor yields or falling prices for one crop need not undermine the entire project. Green cover can also protect crops and soil, while combining fast-growing plants, such as bananas, with slower-maturing, higher-value products, such as cocoa, balances short-term income with long-term returns.
Working with numerous mid-sized farms further distributes risk and reduces dependence on individual sites. Nevertheless, success relies on careful project selection, effective monitoring, and reliable market access. Farmers must also receive sufficient training and support to maintain these systems beyond the initial investment period.
Finally, these projects could demonstrate that environmental restoration and profitable agriculture are not mutually exclusive. By showing neighbouring farmers that agroforestry can generate income while restoring ecosystems, successful projects can encourage wider adoption. This creates the potential for a chain reaction, transforming agricultural practices across entire regions.
Ultimately, scaling regenerative agriculture requires more than environmental ambition. It demands investment, practical support for farmers, and business models that align financial returns with ecological benefits. By making restoration economically attractive, agroforestry offers a promising alternative to destructive agricultural expansion.
