Regenerative Community Action Network
RO*Food
Market Garden
Development Fund
The RO*Food Market Garden Development Fund is a RO*Food initiative that was founded to address the need for working capital of new entrants into market gardening. Production loans are a financing model that is commonly used in industrial agriculture by co-ops, banks and others.
The interest free production loan is granted for a maximum of a 6 month period on the condition that the market gardener has a track record regarding produce delivery to any RegenCAN outlet. The loan is repaid in produce that is donated to organisations feeding orphans, the elderly, and / or the infirm.
RegenCAN issues FD+ tokens to the organisations in the same way that it would to any project. However, the only difference is that we make sure that the FD+ tokens issued to the organisations equal the value of the donations that have been paid to the RO*Food Market Garden Development Fund.
The loan is repaid by the market gardener in FD+ tokens. Notably, none of the FD+ tokens the market gardener uses to repay the loan need to be from produce sold to organisations feeding orphans, the elderly, and / or the infirm. Other more local RegenCAN Market Gardens will fulfill their (our) obligations.
The books balance and society benefits from a more efficient system — less transport cost, etc. and more convenience for the market gardeners and the organisations. The working capital provided by the production loan allows a market gardener to grow nutritious food in the most profitable way possible.
RO*Food Certification
So why are consumers of certified RO*Food products willing to donate to this cause? Other than generosity, most bioregions need more certified RO*Food producers, and consumers recognise this. The RO*Food Market Garden Development Fund is a great way to significantly boost the number of suitably proficient RegenCAN MGS & certified RO*Food MGS growers.
The Certified RO*Food classifications are represented as follows:
Certified RO*Food Home Grown
Certified RO*Food MGS Grown
Certified RO*Food Farm Grown
Certified RO*Food Eco Pastured
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