This discussion paper from the UK-based Food Research Collaboration presents an alternative interpretation of supermarkets’ business models. Instead of offering low prices purely through economies of scale, the report suggests, supermarkets are running a finely balanced model with very low profit margins and large sale volumes. To keep prices low, supermarkets both persuade customers to buy additional items (which may ultimately go to waste) and charge fees to suppliers in return for marketing and selling their products. Without these supplier fees, supermarkets in the UK would be running at or near a loss.

In this article for The Counter, author Sarah Mock describes her research with farmers across the United States. In writing her book, she originally set out to prove that agriculture should be organised around small family farms, but found that few farms of this type were financially stable. Instead, she delves into why small family farms are romanticised in the United States, discussing the history of land enclosure and subsidies.

This paper reviews the effects of voluntary sustainability standards - such as Fairtrade, organic and Rainforest Alliance - in the food supply chain, discussing several different crops. It argues that while standards can improve production sustainability in some circumstances, they are not alone sufficient to make the whole food system sustainable.

This article in The Counter argues that, contrary to previous predictions, meat grown via cellular agriculture is unlikely to become economically viable as a mainstream source of food. Citing a competing technical analysis, the article argues that the cost of the equipment needed to grow cells and keep them from contamination is likely to remain prohibitive, as is the cost of animal-ingredient-free versions of the liquid used to feed cells.

This report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations sets out trends in climate finance with a focus on agriculture and land use. It finds that the agriculture and land use sector has received US$122 billion in climate finance between 2000 and 2018. While in the earlier years studied, agriculture and land use received 45% of climate finance flows, the sector now receives 24%, since a greater proportion of climate finance is going to energy as well as transport and storage.

This report from conservation charity WWF-UK finds that the UK’s financial sector is heavily involved in investing in and lending to companies that trade commodities with a high risk of creating deforestation, including soy, palm and beef. It calls for stricter government regulation, including mandatory due diligence for all companies in the supply chain including financiers, hefty penalties, and stronger informed consent provisions for Indigenous communities.

This paper gives the first global review of how food security has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It finds that, in general, food availability was not disrupted significantly since food systems were able to adapt to the disruptions caused by the pandemic. However, both physical and financial access to food were negatively affected.

This report from the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture Intensification examines patterns of funding for agricultural innovation in the Global South. It finds that most (60-70%) of the approximately US$60 billion in funding per year comes from governments, particularly the Chinese government, with private corporations providing the next biggest portion (20-25%). Less than 7% of the overall funding is clearly targeted towards sustainable agricultural intensification.

This report from the Finance for Biodiversity Initiative (F4B) examines how finance and capital can be redirected to support the transition to a healthy, sustainable and inclusive food system. F4B has also provided an extensive literature review on the interactions between finance and food.