Finian Makepeace – How to Get Regeneration at the Heart of the Next US Farm Bill
A conversation with Finian Makepeace, Co-Founder & Policy Director of Kiss the Ground, producer of Kiss The Ground the movie and one of the leaders of Regenerate America, about the Farm Bill in the US, subsidy schemes, how to have a meaningful impact and more.
April 1, 2023 | Source: Investing in Regenerative Agriculture & Food | by Koen Van Seijen
A conversation with Finian Makepeace, Co-Founder & Policy Director of Kiss the Ground, producer of Kiss The Ground the movie and one of the leaders of Regenerate America, about the Farm Bill in the US, subsidy schemes, how to have a meaningful impact and more.
We don’t talk about policy a lot on the podcast because it doesn’t seem to be so investable, but it does seem absolutely fundamental because if a subsidy scheme like the Farm Bill or the Common Agriculture Policy in Europe (CAP) or chemical fossil fuel fertiliser subsidies in many places makes the life of regenerative farmers more difficult, it means it is much more difficult to invest in the space and move it forward.
THE ROLE OF THE FARM BILL IN THE US
The Farm Bill is a very big bill and includes a lot of major things. One of the biggest things it includes is the SNAP program: about 74% of the $856 billion that’s allocated over a 10 year period is allocated for SNAP, which is food assistance program for people in need.