Key Takeaways
- Whole Foods Market and the National Young Farmers Coalition launched the Next Generation Farmer Fund, with a $1 million goal.
- The retail giant will match contributions up to $500,000.
- Grants of $10,000 to $50,000 will go to farmers under 40 and beginning farmers.
- The fund backs organic, regenerative and responsible farming.
- Suppliers including Lundberg Family Farms and Perdue Farms are contributing, along with 1% of August Berry Chantilly cake sales.
Whole Foods Launches a $1 Million Farmer Fund
Whole Foods Market and the National Young Farmers Coalition launched the Next Generation Farmer Fund, a $1 million effort to support beginning and young farmers across the United States. Whole Foods will match contributions up to $500,000. The grocer, a subsidiary of Amazon, framed the fund as a way to pull suppliers and shoppers into paying for the pipeline of new growers the food system relies on.
Who Qualifies and How Much
Grants of $10,000 to $50,000 will go to farmers under 40 and to first-generation or beginning farmers who use organic, regenerative and responsible methods. The money targets the land and capital costs that keep many newcomers out of farming, where the average operator’s age keeps rising.
“The Fund is meant to catalyze industry-wide investment in the next generation of farming because we all depend on it,” said Caitlin Leibert, Global Head of Sustainability at Amazon Worldwide Grocery. “Farmers need to be held and stewarded just like the land,” said Michelle Hughes, Executive Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition.
Where the Whole Foods Fund’s Money Comes From
The fund draws on Whole Foods’ match, supplier contributions from Lundberg Family Farms, Perdue Farms, Fishwife, Harney & Sons, MadeGood, Lil Bucks, FOND Regenerative and Prairie Farms Dairy, and 1% of August sales of the grocer’s Berry Chantilly cake.
