Integra
Thesis

Climate action, social justice, nutrition security, and nature conservation intersect on small farms

Bringing climate change under control, safeguarding biodiversity, ensuring healthier diets for all, and creating more inclusive rural economies is an urgent priority. Transforming food and land use systems this decade is key and presents a major opportunity for long-term social and financial rewards.

Meeting climate sustainability is inextricably linked to the social impact of agricultural livelihoods, ecological impact of agricultural practices, and economic impact in agricultural value chains in the informal economies of Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Small farms are embarking on a climate transition spanning mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. Integra supports a just climate transition through a place-based ecosystem approach that brings together small farm communities to achieve climate, commercial, and social outcomes.

Core Themes

Why small farms are the leverage point

Climate and the food system

Agriculture is a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions and it impairs land as a natural carbon sink. Regenerative practices restore carbon and biodiversity in soil, improve ecosystem function, and make food more nutritious and sustainable.

Small farms and nutritious food

Small farms already produce most nutritious foods. With proper support, they can close the healthy-diet gap while improving profitability and climate outcomes.

Small farms and the Sustainable Development Goals

For over two billion people in smallholder farming families, progress on poverty, hunger, gender equity, education, decent work, and land and water restoration is essential for global sustainability.

A just and equitable climate transition

A just transition is only possible when small farm communities lead climate action and integrate social, commercial, and climate outcomes.

Potential

The scale of the opportunity

475M

small farms in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa

These farms sit on soils with some of the world’s highest carbon sequestration potential.

25B tons

estimated soil carbon restoration potential

This potential can be unlocked through common regenerative farming practices.

30%

food grown is lost or wasted

In small-farm regions, much of this loss is upstream where it can be addressed profitably.

Approach

How Integra executes for durable impact

Bridging Markets

Channel global innovation to local impact and elevate local success into replicable strategies across markets, domains, and stakeholders.

Deepening Impact

Focus on the lasting change we catalyze, identifying high-leverage nexuses that create cascading social and ecological improvements.

Aligning Stakeholders

Align partners across public and private sectors, institutions and communities, and the full chain of capital, policy, and execution.