The Chair
The FINAGRI Chair
The FINAGRI Chair, created at the end of 2015, is dedicated to the study and application of innovative financing for projects helping to make the agricultural sector both economically and environmentally efficient.
History
2015 : Creation of the FINAGRI Chair
which works for triple optimisation of environmental, social and economic performance.
2015-2021 : Collaboration
Supported by the IAE, it benefits from the collaboration of INRAE and funding from AVRIL (2015-2017) and Invivo (2015-2021). The goal is to set up a methodology combining environmental indicators, agricultural practices and investments.
2020 : Establishment of the Finagreen association
responsible for issuing a label based on research conducted by INRAE.
2022-2023 : Constitution of a new group of sponsors
to fund the new phase of development of the Chair.
Vision
Opening the door to sustainable financing of agriculture
The Alternative Financing for the Agricultural Sector (FINAGRI) Chair at IAE Paris–Sorbonne Business School supports the agroecological transition by developing innovative solutions for sustainable financing.
Our goal?
To bring the scientific community, the agricultural sector and the financial industry together to define new environmental challenges, measure their impacts and evaluate their lasting effects in financial terms.
Our approach?
Following an inventory, the Chair integrates the issues facing farmers in order to define goals compatible with a realistic environmental “transition”.
It familiarises itself with the regulatory constraints faced by farmers, investors and banks… and translates farmers’ financing needs into existing, new or innovative financial instruments.
Our philosophy?
Proposing solutions for financing sustainable agriculture that are paid for neither by the consumer nor by the farmer nor by the State.
Using the specific dynamics of global finance as a historic financing opportunity that has been insufficiently explored in the field of agriculture.
Context
The challenge ?
Speeding up the transition to a more resilient agriculture, while meeting production targets that will ensure Europe’s food sovereignty.The goals ?
Various initiatives are being proposed by the agricultural world, European, national or regional authorities and manufacturers, with a view to:- developing sustainable sectors (environmental quality, animal welfare, etc.)
- creating economic models to make products more profitable
- strengthening the economic sustainability of players in the sectors concerned, via the future European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the “Farm to Fork” strategy
- developing “specifications” for better coordination of activities within the sectors
The means ?
Deploying sustainable finance that offers “responsible investors” financing projects that meet sustainable criteria, defined by European institutions under the ” green taxonomy” classification system.
The FINAGRI initiative
The aim of the FINAGRI Chair is to:
- establish the link between financing and the various elements of sustainable development defined by the EU (policies, criteria, labels, etc.)
- develop innovative financial instruments, allowing the formulation of simple standard criteria. These will qualify and evaluate the sustainability of any project submitted for funding.
The FINAGRI Chair is composed of two distinct branches that nevertheless have strong synergies: fundamental research and applied research.