By Blake Jackson
The Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability successfully launched its first executive education program this spring, focusing on financing solutions for sustainable agriculture.
The program, developed in partnership with Field to Market, received strong participant feedback, with 93% of attendees saying they would recommend it to others. Following the program's success, Cornell Atkinson and Field to Market plan to offer two additional sessions over the next two years.
The inaugural cohort included 29 professionals representing organizations such as Bayer, Environmental Defense Fund, Farm Credit East, CoBank, American Peanut Council, Nutrien, and the Intertribal Ag Council. Participants completed the program during a graduation ceremony held June 3.
“What was most exciting to me is that participants really valued the chance to step outside their silos and understand the larger food value chain. We had the unique opportunity to have people from financing, sustainable ag, farmer groups, companies that are downstream in the value chain and NGOs all in the same room, talking with one another,” said interim director of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability.
“It was great to see the hunger for communication, and for understanding the complexity of the system that is required to finance regenerative and sustainable ag. Participants said they valued the quality of the sessions and the organization, but even more so, they valued being able to talk and share with others across sectors.”
Participant surveys highlighted the value of collaboration across industries. “People were speaking different languages… just being in the room together created new strategies,” wrote one participant.
Another added, “I don’t know where [else] I would’ve gotten this level of relevant information that so closely impacts what I do for a living.”
“We’ve learned about sustainable finance for conservation, blended finance, public-private partnerships, philanthropic capital, concessionary capital,” said Sean McMahon is global sustainability lead at Corvian.
“I think a number of us are going to take some important learnings back from this week to create more effective projects and help us scale more effectively to drive better, more impactful environmental outcomes.”
The program combined classroom instruction, case studies, and farm visits, helping professionals gain practical insights while strengthening leadership and collaboration to advance sustainable agriculture.
Photo Credit: chris-kitchen
Categories: New York, Education