6.3.3 Do Good

Investors in food systems who operate under the Do Good paradigm are driven by a true desire to bring about improvement. They have established an understanding of what “good” entails, which is frequently captured in vision and value statements that express their goals as alternatives to the present “bad” methods of farming and commerce.

Some philanthropists working within this paradigm will team up with venture capitalists to look for opportunity to invest sweet spots where they can yield financial capital returns and improve the world — “doing well by doing good.

Investors that follow this paradigm become more knowledgeable and conscious of the many stages of the food value-adding process. The environmental and social effects of each stage of the process are taken into account as ingredients are tracked upstream to their sources from producer communities throughout the world, then downstream through manufacturing, distribution, and consumption.

Each upstream phase’s downstream effects on human groups, ecosystem services, and global biodiversity are tracked, from soil erosion and emissions of greenhouse gases to persistent chemical accumulation, energy-intensive ingredient processing to synthetic preservatives, extractive labor practices to environmentally toxic packaging.

Investors recognize and acknowledge the interdependence of food systems, and they are motivated to use their money to “improve things” throughout the process. Since they genuinely want to use their resources to help someone other than themselves, they frequently feel personally attached to the good they want to do.

Yet, in food systems, many people can understand the distinction between lowering pesticide use (a concept from the Arrest Disorder paradigm) and improving soil health right away and emotionally (Do Good paradigm). The rapidly rising demand for regenerative agriculture from businesses and consumers is driven by the tangible contrast between doing fewer of something bad and more of something good. However, there are surprisingly few investors and participants in the food system that are truly guided by the Regenerate Life paradigm.