Financial impacts of regenerative agriculture on Native farms and ranches

Published: December 10, 2024 by Mai Lan Hoang and Vincent Gauthier

The Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) implemented a three-year project during 2022–2024 to assess the financial and soil health impacts of regenerative agriculture practices on Native farms and ranches across the Great Plains region.

The project explored the following topics:

Financial performance of Native producers implementing regenerative agriculture practices.
Soil health benefits associated with regenerative agriculture.
Existing challenges and opportunities related to financing regenerative agriculture on Native farms and ranches.

Key findings

Explore the project’s key findings through the fact sheets below:

Fact sheet

Financial impacts of regenerative agriculture on Native farms and ranches

A three-year project to assess the impacts of regenerative agriculture practices on Native farms and ranches across the Great Plains region

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Fact sheet

Regenerative agriculture practices implemented on Native farms and ranches

Native producers implementing regenerative practices reported positive impacts on their operations

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Fact sheet

Financial performance of Native producers implementing regenerative agriculture practices

Native producers reported higher farm income and lower production costs than regional benchmarks, despite owning fewer assets and operating with limited access to capital

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Fact sheet

Financing regenerative agriculture on Native farms and ranches

Lenders are interested in financing regenerative practices, but must increase their expertise on Native land tenure and utilize emerging data on regenerative investment financial impacts

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Fact sheet cover for "Financing regenerative agriculture on Native farms and ranches"

The three-year project generated data-driven insights to inform decision-making about implementing regenerative agriculture on Native farms and ranches. The findings can also guide the development of financing solutions that help Native producers invest in regenerative practices and support their long-term financial success.