Today, rural communities in Central America face many challenges. The combination of degrading soils, changing climate, and falling prices make it harder for traditional smallholder farmers to make ends meet. If we do nothing, it is projected that we will see up to 3.5 million climate migrants in Central America by 2050. Globally, it is projected that we’ll see over 140 million climate migrants in the same timeframe. Smallholding farmers will make up a significant portion of those numbers and perhaps the most vulnerable subgroup.

However, an emerging farm model that combines regenerative agriculture, specialty products, and ecotourism shows that a brighter future is possible. Because these farms have healthier soil, richer biodiversity, and healthier crops, they are more resilience to the changing climate. These conditions also allow the farmers to sell their products for higher prices, bring in tourists, and provide educational workshops, all of which provides the farmer with more economic resilience. Perhaps most importantly, the presence of a regenerative farm in a rural community can often inspire others to do the same, reduce brain drain, and change the trajectory of the entire community.

The New Seed Society is a holistic program that seeks to accelerate the creation of regenerative businesses in Central America in order to promote more resilient rural communities in the face of a changing climate.
The ideal participants are budding entrepreneurs from rural women groups and those with a background in agriculture, business, or tourism who want to stay in or return to rural communities. Through mentorship and peer-to-peer learning, the focus is to help participants flush out their vision, establish their business, build out their farm, and help other farmers to do the same.

The program consists of four distinct parts to support entrepreneurs with the most failure-prone parts of the process. The New Seed Accelerator program provides participants with the upfront agricultural and business guidance they need to get the regenerative business off the ground. The New Seed Mobile app helps regenerative farmers to connect, share regenerative strategies, and business opportunities with each other. The New Seed Monitoring Kit allows farmers to track key regenerative indicators like soil health, biodiversity, and crop quality over time. And the New Seed Ambassadorship program rewards participants who become regional education hubs with a prestigious certification and consumer recognition.

The New Seed Society feeds into many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals including no poverty, quality education, decent work, reduced inequalities, sustainable communities, responsible production, climate action, life on land, and partnerships for the goals.