Investing in Local Food and Organic Farms
Slow Money Institute is a non-profit organization catalyzing the flow of capital to local food systems, connecting investors to the places where they live and promoting new principles of fiduciary responsibility that “bring money back down to earth.”
Sep 25, 2012
What does “bringing money back down to earth” mean to you? Please send us a video one minute or less in length, telling us how what you do in the world dovetails with the Slow Money principles and vision.
Click the video to watch the first-ever Slow Money Minute, by Lopa Brunjes.
While I was searching for images of life in the soil, I came upon the following on Sweet Bay Farm’s website (see above). They’re working to restore soils depleted by decades of monoculture—the continual cultivation of a single crop, in this case tobacco—so this picture of several earthworm tunnels in a clod does not yet suggest anything teeming.
Jeff, before we begin, I want to thank you for the images of the jars of water, one with soil rich in organic matter and one with the dissolved murkiness of soil that is deficient in carbon. Ever since you showed those images during a public talk a decade or so ago, the comparison has stuck with me.
In 2016, Colorado Soil Systems received a $15,000 zero-percent loan from the 2Forks Club. This loan allowed us to establish a fruit-tree rootstock nursery to preserve indigenous trees that grow in the valley; purchase irrigation supplies, fencing, and soil amendments; and embark on a vegetable- and flower- production operation.
Do you have any one doing Slow Money in Canada?
How do you invest?
Hi Susanne,
We do have a local group organizing in Alberta. You can learn more about them and reach them here:
http://slowmoneyalberta.org/
We also have active members and entrepreneurs in Vancouver, and other members and supporters throughout Canada.
The best way to get started investing is to find a local investment that is meaningful to you and make it happen. Let us know what you choose to invest in. You can take inspiration from these stories: http://slowmoney.org/invest
You can also find a fund to invest in immediately, using our resources page here: http://slowmoney.org/other-resources
Finally, you can make a small and important contribution to the Soil Trust, which will allow your donation to be combined with hundreds of others and then invested in local food enterprises. Learn more about the Soil Trust: http://www.soiltrust.com
Thanks, and do let us know how it goes.
David