Healing Economies

Globally, food is more accessible than ever before, yet inequalities mean that many do not have adequate access to producing or obtaining affordable, fresh, and healthy foods. Inequitable economic policies, including land ownership and labor laws, have shaped modern systems of food production and distribution. The globalization and consolidation of food systems have further concentrated control over food production, accessibility, and affordability. The current modes of food production are also becoming increasingly unsustainable. In this session, we examine the role of economic policies and interventions in influencing and transforming systems of food production and access. We will discuss opportunities to build economically prosperous food systems that ensure food security for all while minimizing negative environmental impact.

Thematic Questions:

  • How can our food system promote economic prosperity and stability for people working within the food and agriculture system, especially for those that have been marginalized?
  • What reforms are necessary to create a more equitable system that supports small-scale farmers, farmworkers, and communities?
  • What policy changes or advocacy efforts are most critical for addressing the root causes of food insecurity and promoting economic stability in food production and distribution?
  • How can food sovereignty be advanced as a tool for economic justice?

Panelists

Dr. Claudia Ringler

International Food Policy Research Institute, Director, Natural Resources and Resilience

Claudia Ringler has more than 25 years of research experience at the intersection of nature, agriculture and development with a focus on tangible progress towards more equitable and resilient food systems. Claudia has worked with water resources and agricultural agencies across Asia, Latin America and Africa to jointly improve water and food security and has published widely in this and other areas. She received a PhD in agricultural economics from University of Bonn (ZEF) and an MA in International Development Economics from Yale University.

Anthony Myint

Zero Foodprint, Executive Director

Anthony Myint is a chef turned climate crusader and TED Speaker. He is the Executive Director of Zero Foodprint (ZFP), a 501(c)(3) establishing a Table to Farm Movement through collaborations with state and local governments, teaming up businesses, customers and farmers to scale regenerative agriculture. Their Collective Regeneration program has awarded $2.6M of funds from businesses and $4.9M of funds from governments to over 500 farm projects with an estimated carbon sequestration of over 175,000 tons CO2e.

ZFP was the honoree of the James Beard Foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2020 and Myint was the 2019 winner of the Basque Culinary World Prize. He is the Co-Founder of Mission Street Food, Mission Chinese Food, The Perennial. Mission Street Food was named Most Influential Restaurant of the Decade by the SF Chronicle.

Eliot Logan-Hines

Wildlife Conservation Society, Director of Sustainable Commodities

Eliot Logan-Hines is the Director of Sustainable Commodities at Wildlife Conservation Society. His work focuses on developing and investing in businesses and commodity interventions with small-holder farmers and ranchers around the world. Eliot has worked for nearly 20 years as an eco-entrepreneur in Latin America where he co-founded Chawar, an agave spirit made by indigenous women high in the Andes mountains, and Runa, an energy drink made with guayusa, a super leaf from the Ecuadorian Amazon. He and his husband, Robin, are alpaca herders, managing a small herd in New Mexico and one in the Ecuadorian Andes.

Michael Reilly

Foodshed Capital, Founder/CEO

Michael co-founded Foodshed Capital in 2018 and currently oversees the day-to-day operations as Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, the organization has grown from a small, place-based fund to a nationwide nonprofit with more than $4 million in impact capital deployed to small-scale regenerative farmers. Michael also led Foodshed Capital toward certification as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in 2020; Foodshed Capital remains one of a few CDFIs around the country solely devoted to the needs of farmers and food entrepreneurs. Michael’s desire to pursue radical ideas has established Foodshed Capital as a leader in innovative financing models, providing hundreds of under-served farmers around the county with low-and-no-cost loans and free business support services. Michael earned an undergraduate degree at Yale University and a graduate degree at Columbia University.

Charles Wade

Black Farmer Fund, Investment Director

Charles Wade (he/him) serves as the Investment Director for Black Farmer Fund. He previously held senior roles at J.P. Morgan, Lehman Brothers, and Citigroup, where he originated, structured, and distributed a range of credit solutions for private equity firms, hedge funds, and asset managers.

Charles enjoys animal husbandry, gardening, and backpacking, and he is passionate about leveraging his finance experience to support food entrepreneurs in their efforts to improve the health and sustainability of community food systems. He is an alumnus of the Just Economy Institute, a network of 200+ financial activists working to shift capital and power in service of a more just economy.

Charles holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a BS from West Point.