About 3FS
Representing civil society, public and private sectors, and the financial and philanthropic communities, we work to leverage the power of strategic partnerships to spur purchase commitments, increase strategic investments that benefit producers, encourage knowledge sharing, and validate sustainability data.
In doing so, we aim to help producers maximize income through the full use of a farm’s ecosystem while hastening the transition to regenerative practices that minimize the use of harmful chemical inputs, protect biodiversity, and prioritize the health and wellbeing of farmers and their communities.
Our work is guided by the following principles...
1.
Increase market access for farmers.
Reliable market access for farmers and fishers can boost livelihoods and food security for both individuals and communities. Yet producers are often constrained by location, infrastructure challenges, or insufficient knowledge to gain bargaining power. Improving market access represents an important step toward helping farmers sell a higher quantity of their products and increasing economic security.
2.
Connect farmers with data and technology. Equitable access to data and technology can improve yields, increase profits, and encourage innovation. New technologies and knowledge-sharing networks can serve as powerful tools but they must be demand-driven, developed with input from producers, to ensure they are serving the needs of smallholders.
3.
De-risk opportunities for producers through investment. Returns on production are vulnerable to extreme weather events, political conflict, and other supply chain shocks. Additionally, producers often lack financing to obtain inputs needed to improve yields. Unlocking opportunities for investment in the agrifood sector can increase the resilience of food producers and ultimately help them innovate, supporting the transition to regenerative production practices.
4.
Establish purchase commitments. The private sector can support producers committed to climate-smart agriculture practices by making long-term purchase commitments. Entering into these relationships can increase the sustainability of supply chains while providing greater economic security for farmers and fishers.
5.
Validate sustainability data and impacts. Assessing the social, environmental, and economic benefits of food and agriculture supply chains are essential to scaling sustainable practices. Reputable data can encourage the financial and philanthropic communities to invest further in small-scale producers already engaging in these practices while convincing others to embrace them.
6.
Measure the true value of food. True Cost Accounting is a tool that calculates the direct costs of food production as well as the effects on the environment and communities. Measuring these positive and negative externalities of food production helps governments, businesses, investors, farmers, and fishers what it truly costs to produce food and make informed decisions
7.
Expand climate literacy in agricultural communities. Increasingly important, climate literacy allows producers to understand, communicate about, and respond to the effects of changing climate patterns and their effects on people and society at large. Particularly essential for youth, awareness of the consequences of the climate crisis can help drive behavior change and implement food production practices that are better for the environment.
8.
Respect and honor producers. Estimates from the FAO show that worldwide, family farms occupy between 70 and 80 percent of the world’s farmland and produce around 80 percent of the world’s food in terms of value. And small-scale producers account for at least 40 percent of the total global capture fisheries production. As the backbone of the world’s food and agriculture systems, these producers deserve recognition for nourishing the world.
9.
Invest in women. Globally, women account for around 43 percent of the agricultural labor force and around 35 percent of employment along the small-scale fisheries value chain. Despite their contributions, they often lack equal access to land, inputs, services, finance, and technology. Investing in women and closing the gender gap has the potential to reduce the number of food-insecure people around the world by 45 million.
10.
Value indigenous and traditional knowledge systems. Indigenous peoples may comprise five percent of the global population, but they protect roughly 80 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity. Their production practices—some of which have been used to sustainably steward the earth for millennia—provide valuable lessons to help the world adapt to the climate crisis
11.
Recognize the expertise of youth. Young people are the future of the food and agriculture system and their presence in decision-making processes is critical. As the average age of farmers worldwide hovers around 60, the promise of sustainable careers in food production, combined with resources and training, can encourage a new generation to drive the transformation of food and agriculture systems.
Founding Partners /
Pegasus is a leading global private markets impact investment manager. As the first U.S. private equity fund manager accredited by the Green Climate Fund, we are dedicated to fostering sustainable growth while providing attractive returns for our investors.
Food Tank is one of the fastest-growing nonprofit organizations around food and agriculture issues, focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. Their work spotlights environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, obesity, and poverty, and creates networks of people, organizations, and content to push for food system change. Food Tank highlights hope and success in agriculture.
Producers Trust is a revolutionary platform that services small farmers and transforms agricultural supply chains by fostering trust, transparency, and sustainability.
By leveraging cutting-edge ground truthing data, our platform connects producers, organizations, and ecosystem stakeholders to create collaborative, data-driven solutions that incentivize sustainable practices and enhance market access.
Producers Trust is dedicated to driving positive change and delivering value to all stakeholders while promoting the well-being of farmers who play a critical role in feeding the world. Together, we're cultivating a brighter, more resilient future for global agriculture.