{"id":9841,"date":"2017-06-05T16:52:27","date_gmt":"2017-06-05T20:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.greenmoney.com\/2025\/?page_id=9841"},"modified":"2020-01-07T14:40:14","modified_gmt":"2020-01-07T19:40:14","slug":"soil-fake-news-and-real-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.greenmoney.com\/2025\/soil-fake-news-and-real-food\/","title":{"rendered":"SOIL\u2013Slow Opportunities for Investing Locally"},"content":{"rendered":"
>> Back to January 2020<\/a><\/div>\n

(Reader Favorite from June 2017)<\/em><\/p>\n

I often refer to Slow Money as “the CSA of investing.”<\/em> As with community-supported agriculture, our efforts revolve around informal, direct relationships and shared risk. Slow Money funding is flowing in a variety of ways in dozens of communities across the United States (and a few in Canada and France) \u2014 peer-to-peer lending, investment clubs, angel networks and pitch fests at public events large and small.<\/p>\n

This year, we\u2019re launching Slow Opportunities for Investing Locally\u2014SOIL<\/em>, a non-profit investment club, in the Boulder, CO area (as well as holding the SOIL 2017 Conference<\/strong> this October, details below).<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t investing<\/em> in the traditional sense. We\u2019re using charitable donations and 0% loans to fund the next generation of diversified, organic farms and the small food enterprises that bring their produce to the local market. We\u2019re building a permanent, member-controlled funding resource. This is investing that leaves the returns in, for the benefit of future generations.<\/p>\n

\"Two-Roots-Farm_2\"<\/p>\n

Two Roots Farm, a start-up micro-farm in Carbondale, CO received $7,500 for drip irrigation and a walk-in cooler. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

There are many social and environmental reasons why we are doing this. Climate Change. Nutrition. Community. There are also financial reasons. If we are going to do what needs to be done in the soil, then we are going to need to put aside some of our money in new ways.<\/p>\n

This is what has been driving Slow Money activities around the country. Since 2010, more than $57 million has flowed through our networks to 632 small food enterprises: Cheese makers, artisan bakers, heirloom seed companies, compost purveyors, small diversified organic farms (F.A.R.M.s,*too), grass-fed beef producers, goat dairies, yogurt companies, farm-to-table restaurants, probiotic pickleteers, community kitchens, regional grain mills, local distributors, inner city cooperatives and more.<\/p>\n

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