Rize Triumphs with Sustainable Farming: A New Chapter in Raiffeisen's Climate Agenda

Rize, winner of the Elevator Lab Demo Day, shows why sustainability in agriculture is urgently needed and what role cooperations play in this.

Most of us are aware that agriculture is particularly affected by the consequences of climate change. Heat waves, floods or hail can cause severe damage and result in huge losses for the farmers. Maybe some are also aware that agriculture is responsible for about one quarter of all greenhouse gases produced. There’s also a significant degradation of soils, where fewer and fewer plants and soil fauna can survive.

RBI’s sustainability strategy includes striving for a climate-friendly society – our emission reduction ta gets were even recognized by the Science Based Targets Initiative in September 2022. In order to anchor climate protection even stronger in our core business, a cooperation with Rize has been established through Elevator Lab. 

Etienne Variot, CEO and co-founder of Rize, explains that they support farmers in transitioning to sustainable agriculture by linking them with carbon markets through financing opportunities via carbon certificates. These certificates are issued for proven reductions in greenhouse gases or carbon sequestration like growing nitrogen-free crops (e.g. legumes) or using cover crops as fertilizer to absorb carbon and reduce chemical fertilizer usage.

“Soils are dead today,” warns Variot, adding, “Humanity is based on agriculture and as a result on soils. Rebuilding the productivity of soils, and reducing our dependence on fertilizers, is crucial for our future.”

Companies pay for carbon certificates, issued to the farmers, to offset their emissions, which provide
farmers with funds for the shift to regenerative agriculture. We must not delay this shift, as agriculture allows for one innovation cycle per harvest, leaving us with only 27 cycles until 2050 to achieve climate neutrality according to the EU Green Deal. Time is running out.

Rize is a platform that enables partnerships between seed suppliers, cooperatives, Chambers of Agriculture, and independent advisors who help farmers with their conversion. Regarding the cooperation with our Raiffeisen Bank in Romania as well as another player called Rodbun, a provider of agricultural products and solutions, the CEO of Rize says: “The cooperation with Raiffeisen is a good way to increase the legitimacy of a start-up and to accelerate our go-to market as Raiffeisen is already connected to our key stakeholders: farmers, partners and offset takers.”