AIM | 20 May 2026

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone

Following the close of Conservation Resources’ (CR) inaugural impact farmland fund in August 2024, the firm collaborated with Dutch fiduciary management and impact investing specialist Achmea Investment Management B.V. (Achmea IM) to launch Conservation Resources Farmland II (CRF II) in early January 2026 to continue capitalizing on opportunities in North American farmland and its associated value chain assets.

The fund raised $54 million at its first close supported by existing CR investors and its new anchor investor Achmea IM, which has approved CRF II to be included on its multi-asset impact platform, and will act as an investment advisor to European institutional investors and other clients investing in the fund. 

“Achmea IM and CR share a belief that impact investments done right should achieve financial return goals, while also delivering intentional and measurable positive environmental and social outcomes,” said Stavros Koutsantonis, chief operating officer and head of agricultural investment strategies, Conservation Resources, in January.

Now the partners have shared that CRF II has made its first investment in a 155-acre permanent crop property growing kiwi and citrus in California; an acquisition that solidifies CR as one of the largest institutional investor owners of bearing kiwi acreage in the U.S. 

This marks the first deal under the differentiated investment strategy of CRF II targeting institutional-quality farmland properties and associated downstream assets across North America with the goal of generating excess returns over traditional farmland benchmarks by unlocking multiple value streams. Effectively, focusing on investment properties where CR’s active asset management has the ability to create measurable value above passive ownership. 

All properties will be farmed regeneratively and/or organically in pursuit of being certified under what CR states it believes to be the industry’s most stringent standards. 

And, as was true with prior CR investment funds, CRF II will voluntarily implement the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) Article 9 provisions – the European Union’s highest “anti-greenwashing” standard for investment funds to align financial returns with meaningful impacts. 

“CR views this discipline as central to generating durable premium returns and building long-term asset value while also benefitting soil health, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and water conservation,” stated the company in an announcement. 

This acquisition further builds upon the strong deal flow and asset management platform established through CR’s inaugural fund. Since 2022 the firm has raised over $275 million and has been actively investing across its core geographies and commodity markets. 

“This acquisition reflects exactly the type of differentiated opportunity we built CRF II to pursue,” said Koutsantonis.

“Bearing kiwi acreage in California is scarce, difficult to develop, and increasingly sought after as domestic demand for kiwi grows. Pairing that with citrus gives us multiple value streams within a single asset – and positions CR as a meaningful institutional presence in a crop category where we see compelling long-term fundamentals.”

Other recent investments made by CR include a $20 million regenerative and organic integrated farmland operation in the Pacific Northwest, and a $9 million investment through a partnership with one of the largest cattle producers in the U.S. to implement a regenerative pasture and native grasslands program in the High Plains.