TIFS designs and prototypes financial innovations that increase the flow of capital to regenerative and agroecological food systems.
Moving capital to regenerative producers requires more than investor interest—it requires financial structures, data, and risk frameworks that don't yet exist at scale. TIFS works at this frontier, translating systems research and field knowledge into practical financing models that address the real barriers facing farmers, lenders, and investors.
Our Ecosystem Building involves deep engagement with producers, insurers, lenders, and capital providers, which results in identifying where conventional finance falls short and opens opportunities to co-design solutions that are investable, replicable, and built to last. Our financial innovations target structural gaps in insurance markets, lending practices, and investment infrastructure, and are designed from the outset for replication
Our financial innovation work focuses on:
Reforming insurance and lending for regenerative producers
We work with farmers, insurers, lenders, and data providers to develop the actuarial frameworks and risk tools that enable fairer access to crop insurance and credit for producers adopting regenerative practices.
Designing producer-centered finance structures
We co-create financing models with producers and investors that align capital with agricultural realities—prioritizing producer liquidity, resilience, and long-term viability over short-horizon debt extraction.
Building systemic investment vehicles
We prototype multi-asset investment platforms that connect mission-aligned investors to the regional infrastructure, financial intermediaries, and natural assets needed to support regenerative food systems at scale.
Catalyzing replicable models for the field
Every financing innovation TIFS develops is intended to reshape the broader field—to inform policy, be adopted by finance providers, and establish new precedents for how capital serves regenerative food systems.
TIFS’ innovation portfolio includes DiversiFund, RALIC, the Retained Production Income (RPI) approach, and RePower (the Agricultural Decarbonization initiative). Each represents a distinct lever for unlocking capital—and together they create an integrated approach to transforming how finance flows in agriculture.
Learn more about DiversiFund, RALIC, RPI, RePower →
Systemic Investing Assessment: Systemic Investing Assessment: An early innovation to create practical application of food systems evaluation frameworks, TIFS developed SIA, the Systemic Investing Assessment. SIA can be used by investment decision-makers to identify investments that best match an impact and investment thesis focused on food systems transformation. This tool is grounded in science, in particular the scientifically validated TEEB AgriFood true cost accounting framework. SIA reflects the principles of the Global Alliance and the 13 principles of agroecology. TIFS has used the tool to compare investment opportunities and to advance market development by standardizing implementation of systemic impact tools in investment practices.