Mondelēz Canada Inc. is investing in Area One Farms Fund V, a Canadian farmland-investment strategy that partners with growth-oriented family farms. The investment is intended to support Canadian farmers as they expand their operations, strengthen the resilience of Canada’s agricultural supply chain and advance locally appropriate regenerative agriculture practices, says a release.
This investment was facilitated through the global Mondelēz Sustainable Futures Impact Investment platform, with impact-investment firm Sagana supporting the investment process from opportunity sourcing through integrated due diligence.
“As a company, we know that investing in Canadian agriculture helps strengthen the foundation of a resilient Canadian food system and the agricultural supply chains that are essential to food manufacturing in Canada,” said Naniss Gadel-Raab, president of Mondelēz Canada. “Our commitment to Canada extends beyond the products we make; it includes supporting the farmers, families and communities that are helping build a stronger, more sustainable food system. We’re excited to support Area One Farms and its innovative approach to partnering with Canadian family farms, alongside Joelle Faulkner and her team. As we celebrate the International Day of Women Farmers, this investment is a meaningful way for us to recognize and support the important role women are playing in shaping the future of Canadian agriculture.”
Area One Farms partners with Canadian farmers whose ability to grow their operations can be constrained by access to capital. Through its partnership model, Area One Farms and participating farmers invest alongside one another, sharing both the upside and downside of the farm’s performance. Capital can support farmers in acquiring additional land, improving underproductive or retired farmland, and investing in infrastructure and technology, including irrigation, drainage, machinery and precision agriculture.
“Most farmers who want to grow are not short of skill or opportunity. They are short of growth equity,” said Joelle Faulkner, CEO at Area One Farms. “We invest as a co-owner, supporting them with capital and mentorship to scale and innovate. Mondelez understands that a resilient supply chain starts on farms that are financially strong enough to invest in their soil and in the next generation, and this investment lets us do that work with more farming families across Canada.”
The model is also designed to help family farms achieve the scale needed to support the next generation while maintaining farmer participation in land ownership. Unlike conventional farmland-investment models in which investors acquire farmland and charge farmers fixed rent, Area One Farms’ approach enables Canadian farmers to retain an ownership interest in the farm partnership and provides a pathway for them to increase their stake over time. This approach is intended to help preserve farmer participation in land ownership across generations.
Within its partnerships, Area One Farms can also fund the working capital and equipment required to adopt regenerative practices, alongside agronomic advice. This can help Canadian farmers implement practices such as reduced tillage and cover cropping, while sharing the financial cost and risk associated with the transition.
“We have a playbook and enough demonstration that regenerative agriculture works, but financing the transition remains a big barrier,” said François Ritchot, investment director and food and agriculture lead at Sagana. “Area One Farms offers a distinctive approach to address this. We were particularly attracted by the combination of disciplined real-asset investing, practical regenerative agriculture capabilities, and tangible benefits for farming families, rural communities, and the resilience of our food system.”
Area One Farms has grown to more than $800 million in assets under management across over 50 farm partnerships and 200,000 acres. Through four prior funds, the firm has developed its partnership model across Canadian agriculture, while generating positive social and environmental outcomes.
The investment in Area One Farms will support the continued expansion of this model across Canada, enabling the strategy to partner with additional farming families and support increased crop production. It will also support the management of farmland using locally appropriate regenerative agriculture practices, including measures focused on soil health, input efficiency, water management and climate resilience.
