Robin Food Coalition Launches Pilot to Reward Ecosystem Services and Nature Restoration

Natural Capital: Not a Theory, but an Economic Necessity

Humanity is entirely dependent on nature, and continuing to treat it as a free and inexhaustible resource is unsustainable. Healthy soil, clean water, and biodiversity—in short, a healthy environment—form the foundation of our well-being and our economy. Yet, this value is currently hardly recognized within economic systems. According to the Robin Food Coalition, this must change.

By assigning financial value to ecosystem services, we make nature conservation economically rewarding and build a healthy, resilient future. This requires new, competitive income streams for farmers, ensuring they are rewarded for the crucial ecosystem services they provide. A promising step in this direction is recognizing healthy nature as a financial asset: Natural Capital. Global institutions such as the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and various universities emphasize this importance. Major investment firms like BlackRock, KKR, and the Norwegian Government Pension Fund are now taking steps in this direction. In contrast to these institutional investors, the Robin Food Coalition views nature as a "commons." Therefore, it focuses on financial instruments that stimulate nature restoration without requiring land ownership or crop yields as collateral.

However, Natural Capital remains too theoretical. The Robin Food Coalition aims to use this pilot to test the feasibility of the concept in the Netherlands and develop a concrete mechanism that directly rewards farmers for their contribution to nature.

A New Prototype for Sustainable Agriculture

With this pilot, the Robin Food Coalition is taking a tangible step toward viewing farmers not just as food producers, but as stewards of our landscape. Current conventional farming practices neglect this role and cause damage to soil, water, and biodiversity, with many costs being passed on to society. Conversely, sustainable and transition farmers provide positive ecosystem services but receive no financial appreciation for them. This weakens their competitive position.

Using advanced technologies such as remote sensing, satellite observation, and data analysis, improvements in biodiversity and soil quality can be measured and financially valued. This enables organizations and investors from both within and outside the food chain to make targeted investments in these realized improvements. The goal is to enhance agricultural ecosystems and improve the competitiveness, accessibility, and market share of sustainably produced food in the Netherlands.

Volkert Engelsman, founder of the Robin Food Coalition and a pioneer in sustainable agriculture, emphasizes the importance of this shift: “If we continue to treat nature as a free commodity, we will pay the price through food insecurity, health issues, and climate problems. Progress lies in recognizing and compensating the value farmers create by connecting nature and agriculture. With satellite data, we can measure this easily and objectively, without extra red tape for the farmers.”

Sustainability as an Economic Necessity

Attention to natural capital is growing not only within the agricultural sector but also in the financial world. Major investors and policymakers increasingly recognize that companies dependent on natural resources face risks such as biodiversity loss and soil degradation. Integrating natural capital into economic models is therefore not just an ethical choice, but a strategic necessity.

The upcoming revaluation of nature-related risks will reshape markets and provide a competitive advantage to companies currently leading sustainable transitions. Peter Bakker, President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, highlights this development: “The economy of the future will be built on regenerative systems. Farmers and companies investing in natural capital now are not only building a more sustainable food system but are also creating long-term value for their stakeholders.”

The meeting in Rotterdam underscored the momentum behind this movement. While the world searches for ways to economically anchor sustainable land use, the Robin Food Coalition is now taking the step to put this into practice in the Netherlands.

About Robin Food Coalition

The Robin Food Coalition (RFC) is a coalition founded in 2023, consisting of approximately 90—mostly organic—frontrunning SMEs in cultivation, trade, processing, foodservice, and retail. Our goal is to strengthen the position of these companies and help develop the market for sustainable and/or organic food, so that the organic share of both agricultural land and consumption grows.

For more information or interview requests, please contact Noa Widdershoven: noa@robinfoodcoalition.com | +31 6 31743737