""In the next 40 years there's going to be a 70 percent increase in demand for food worldwide," said Jason Reed, founder of Seedstock.com, which hosted the event. "There's not a lot of models for how sustainability can capture that increased demand and those increased pressures."
Sustainable farming, which often ties into organic growing, has been reaping profits. The USDA recently released the results of its first ever survey of the organic farming industry, reporting that sales in the U.S. topped $3.5 billion last year.
Over the last few years, sustainable farming startups have managed to get loans from companies like Whole Foods , or sold equity stakes to venture capitalists like Michael Dell's brother, Adam. A lot of the seed money, literally, is being used to help these businesses grow, many with a focus on being local. Food grown closer to where consumers buy lowers transportation costs. That can help offset the higher cost of growing food organically. Seedstock’s conference was "a chance for farmers, entrepreneurs and distributors who have found success, who have found models that work, to share their stories," Reed said."
Are people starting to wake up? We can only hope... - Wes
