Business unusual: how business and investment pioneers are transforming forest and food supply chains

An increasing number of pioneering businesses and investors operating along forest and agriculture supply chains are leading the charge to transform the deeply flawed dominating economic models for the benefit of people, nature and climate. 

This report documents and highlights success and lessons learnt from 18 inspiring examples of businesses and investors who are progressing from ‘business-as-usual’ to ‘business unusual’ by adopting practices that embrace complexity and challenge existing business and investment paradigms and power dynamics. 

These pioneers are charting new paths for how forest stewards and farm smallholders can organise themselves, mobilise their own flexible finance, leverage external public and private investments and engage in business partnerships that regenerate and distribute a diversity of social, natural and economic benefits while strengthening social bonds and bonds with nature. 

The report identifies three commonly adopted approaches and put forwards four recommendations for governments and public and private funders alike to support these pioneers to drive transformative changes for more distributive and regenerative forest and food supply chains.