Santiago Gowland on regenerative agriculture and building resilience in rural communities

What are the biggest barriers to scaling nature-positive investments, and how can they be overcome?

We need to develop innovative mechanisms to flow finance to small producers. Small-scale producers often live in severe poverty. Low and declining yields (the result of poor material, aging trees, decreased soil fertility, as well as lowered tolerance for pests and diseases aggravated by climate change) make it hard for them to make a decent living. They lack support in planning farm improvements and access to tailored agricultural services that can help them grow and renovate their farms and meet increasingly strict sustainability requirements. Furthermore, smallholders have very limited access to the capital they need, at the time they need it, to carry out those improvements. They’re considered high risk and, as things stand, they are seen as basically un-bankable.

What policy changes are needed to unlock private-sector investment in biodiversity and ecosystem services?

We need policies that level the playing field, so that sustainable practices aren't just a niche strategy. Governments must streamline biodiversity and climate considerations across all policy areas. This means mandatory corporate due diligence, sustainability reporting, and creating economic incentives that make environmental protection a core business strategy, not just a side initiative. The European Union's Green Deal offers a great model – integrating sustainability into corporate reporting, development aid, and economic planning.

What is the Rainforest Alliance prioritising for COP30 in Belem?

We will have three critical focus areas for this COP. First, reducing emissions – the agriculture and forestry sector generates 22% of global greenhouse gases. We're advocating for an end to deforestation and rapid implementation of climate-smart practices like regenerative agriculture. Second, building resilience models for rural communities. Climate change disproportionately impacts smallholder farmers, Indigenous peoples, and marginalized groups. We need solutions that protect their livelihoods and ecosystems. Third, we want to drive increased financial support. Right now, very little climate finance reaches local levels. We're calling on governments and multilateral banks to dramatically increase funding for locally led nature-based solutions.

What are you most looking forward to discussing or hearing about at the Nature Finance Forum Europe?

I look forward to hearing more about innovation and cross-collaboration to address this massive gap in financing the transition of traditional agriculture to regenerative practices and unlocking the potential of the sector for net positive. We're not just fighting climate change; we're reimagining how people can work in harmony with nature, and to do that at scale, financing is imperative.