Our Investment Philosophy
By adopting ecological management practices, we can create farms and forests that are regenerative, resilient and profitable.
The Problem
Agriculture and forestry systems are heavily dependent on and highly impact climate and nature.
The Problem
Agriculture and forestry systems are heavily dependent on and highly impact climate and nature. All the economic value generated by agriculture and forestry operations is highly dependent on nature. These systems rely on critical ecosystem services, such as soil fertility, nutrient cycling, pollination, water purification, natural pest control and climate regulation. Unfortunately, industrial food and timber production systems tend to exploit, rather than work with, nature. They degrade the natural capital – soils, water and biodiversity – on which they depend and this exposes them to many risks.
The Solution
There are alternative ways to manage land that can minimise these risks and generate a positive environmental impact while increasing profitability.
The Solution
There are alternative ways to manage land that can minimise these risks and generate a positive environmental impact while increasing profitability. All around the world, there are farmers and foresters who have developed profitable regenerative systems. Their systems build soil health, minimise external inputs and production costs, recycle nutrients and energy, embrace produce diversity, create carbon sinks, restore biodiversity and produce high value food, fiber and timber. Their systems enhance and protect their natural capital instead of depleting it, addressing at the same time our need for food and materials, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and biodiversity.
Our Approach
These farmers and foresters need capital to grow and transition more land to regenerative systems.
Our Approach
These farmers and foresters need capital to grow and transition more land to regenerative systems. Across SLM's core regions, United States, Europe and Australia, investors can directly assist by acquiring or leasing land and placing it with operators who are experts in regenerative management. Successful investment strategies involve long-term partnerships between investors and carefully-selected farmers and foresters, acting as stewards of the land with aligned incentives.
Dive Deeper
Investing in Regenerative Agriculture: Reflections from the past decade
February 2024
Our Strategies
USA
Organic Row Crops
Developing buy and lease strategies built through long-term partnerships with organic operators across the US Midwest.
Learn more →
USA · Europe
Regenerative Permanent Crops
Investing in orchards and specialty crops using regenerative practices in the US and Iberia.
Learn more →
Australia
Holistic Planned Grazing
Restoring grasslands in Queensland and NSW through holistic planned grazing management.
Learn more →
Europe
Continuous Cover Forestry
Transitioning European forests to continuous cover forestry systems for economic and environmental returns.
Learn more →Our approach to every investment
Safe Geographies
We focus on low risk developed countries with strong property rights so that returns are primarily driven by transformative land management. We are currently active in Australia, the USA and the European Union and we will continue to focus on these regions.
Attractive Markets
We target specific products and markets that have attractive supply-demand dynamics and good growth prospects. We pick regions with the right soil and climatic conditions, competitive land values and favourable production economics for growing our target products.
Proven Ecological Systems
We identify ecological land management systems that deliver superior profits and strong environmental benefits. These systems are usually not yet mainstream but have the potential to be scaled. We carry out extensive research and financial analysis to understand environmental impacts and profitability.
Skilled Operational Partners
We partner with local farmers and foresters who have a strong track record in managing our selected systems. We have seen enough projects go wrong to realize the critical importance of having skilled land managers in place from the start.
Investor Alignment
We develop funds and separate accounts to match our investment strategies with the needs of our investors, who are mainly institutional investors, family offices and foundations. We seek to minimize fees and tie our incentives to the success of our strategies.
Keen Awareness Of Risk
Our investors accept the return profile of land assets because of the lower risks. When developing strategies, we put a strong emphasis on understanding and mitigating risk, including the impact of a changing climate on our farms and forests.