The Rainforest Alliance at Climate Week NYC 2026

Join conversations with business leaders, investors, and financial institutions on the urgent need to help farmers finance the transition to more resilient farming systems. 

September 20-27, 2006

Climate resilience begins with farms and forests

Climate change is already reshaping food and agriculture, bringing unpredictable rainfall, degraded soils, lower yields, and growing uncertainty. Climate change could reduce global agricultural production by up to 35 percent by 2050, making it urgent that farms bolster their climate resilience—for food security, the global economy, and the future of climate.

Regenerative agriculture is a powerful climate solution. By restoring soils, protecting biodiversity, and strengthening natural systems, it can help farmers adapt to climate impacts while reducing emissions and strengthening the resilience of the landscapes and supply chains businesses depend on. 

Scaling impact requires action: For business, sustainability and climate leaders, meaningful climate strategy means more than commitments. It means investing in farmers, supporting long-term adoption and measuring credible outcomes. 

Farmers are already investing their time, knowledge, and resources to adapt to a changing climate. They can’t be expected to finance the transition alone. Building resilient food systems requires shared investment from businesses, investors, and institutions that depend on them.

Santiago Gowland, Rainforest Alliance CEO

Building Climate Resilience

Regenerative Agriculture Certification

Our Regenerative Agriculture Standard offers a clear, step-by-step path for farmers and companies to improve climate resilience, creating a brighter future for people and nature.

Explore this solution >

Leaders available for interviews and panels

To arrange interviews, please contact Francisco Schadel at [email protected] or +1 419 889 0133 

During Climate Week NYC, we will join conversations with business leaders, investors, and financial institutions on the urgent need to help farmers finance the transition to more resilient farming systems. 

Having published its Regenerative Agriculture Standard one year ago, the Rainforest Alliance will now share lessons from working alongside farmers, companies, and governments to scale regenerative agriculture across tropical landscapes.

Santiago Gowland, Rainforest Alliance CEO

Santiago Gowland
Chief Executive Officer  

Subject manner expertise:

  • Pre-competitive collaboration to scale regenerative agriculture 
  • Blended finance for the regenerative transition 
Harper McConnell, Chief Impact and Growth Officer at the Rainforest Alliance

Harper McConnell
Chief Impact & Growth Officer 

Subject manner expertise:

  • Integrating regenerative agriculture into global coffee and cocoa supply chains 
  • Corporate investment models for regenerative agriculture 

Dr. Christa Anderson
Senior Climate Director 

Subject manner expertise:

  • Regenerative agriculture as a nature-based climate solution  
  • Setting science-based targets and measuring outcomes for regenerative agriculture 

Kerry Daroci
Corporate Engagement & Partnerships Director, Americas 

Subject manner expertise:

  • Lessons from the first year of the Regenerative Agriculture Standard  
  • How sustainability regulations are shaping regenerative agriculture 

Building climate resilience

Our Regenerative Agriculture Standard helps farmers better withstand climate shocks through a systematic approach in which soil health, agroforestry, and integrated weed and pest management all play a role. By requiring actions for reduced or no pesticide use, prioritizing climate-resilient crop varieties, and establishing practices that help protect and enrich soil, farms are better able to prepare for unpredictable weather patterns and events.

  • “Getting certified in regenerative agriculture helps us find a role, an active role, in being resilient to climate change and not just passive.”

    Emilie Dardaine, executive director of Cafetalera Nica-France and coordinator of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture in Coffee, Nicaragua

  • “After using regenerative practices, it was possible to observe greater tolerance to (climatic) stresses, especially in recent years, when we experienced periods of very high temperatures and severe droughts.”

    André Casotti Brito, Fazenda Pinheiros (Agrogenius Group), Brazil

  • “Reducing the use of pesticides [and] the use of highly volatile chemical fertilizers that generate greenhouse gases, increasing organic matter in the soil [and] vegetation cover—all of these are factors that, together, create conditions that are different from traditional coffee cultivation.”

    Mário Garcia, coffee producer, Fazenda Onça, Brazil

Explore more

Learn more about how we are taking climate action through regenerative agriculture and field-level projects.