Christopher Wayne

As Associate Director, Investing in Agriculture Chris shapes Acumen’s position and direction in smallholder agriculture, supports local teams to source and structure agriculture transactions, and designs systems to share agricultural intelligence. Chris joined Acumen in 2021, and most recently served as Director of GrowNYC Farmer Assistance, where he oversaw business development technical assistance programs for small family farms.

Chris’s international agricultural work began in Costa Rica, where he worked with plantain, watermelon and papaya farmers to deploy sustainable growing practices and access new markets. Upon returning to the States, he worked with the New Farmer Development Project to provide access to capital, access to land, and supply chain assistance to immigrant farmers starting small businesses in the Northeastern United States.

Chris holds a master of science in Sustainable Management from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College in creative writing.