Finance is the missing piece in regenerative agriculture, says HowGood’s Ethan Soloviev

Ethan Soloviev, chief innovation officer at HowGood, argues that the main barrier to scaling regenerative agriculture is not defining or proving its worth, but rather unlocking much greater financial flows to farmers. The sector has broad consensus on its benefits, yet lacks sufficient financial mechanisms, with collaboration needed between banks, insurers, food companies, and local partners to de-risk and finance agricultural transitions. Soloviev emphasizes that effective solutions are likely to emerge at regional levels through coordinated initiatives, and that the focus is shifting from debates about definitions to practical deals and investment. Despite political headwinds around ESG and net-zero, companies continue to invest in regenerative practices for business resilience, but the scale of investment remains far too small.