The Buzz Around Regenerative Agriculture
It feels like everyone is talking about regeneration these days. I attended two back-to-back conferences in Europe and here's what I learned about the space.
One of the projects I’m working on is called Top 50 Farmers, which is scaling regenerative agriculture in Europe by supporting the farmers who are leading the way.
Consequently, I’ve been doing a lot of work to build relationships with the regenerative agriculture ecosystem across Europe and in September, I embarked on 3 intense weeks of travel including 2 back-to-back conferences on regenerative agriculture in Europe. I wrote up my findings as well as my critiques, which I wanted to share with you too.
One conference took place outside in the countryside of Germany and was filled with people who work with the land. The other conference was in the historical Amsterdam trading hall and filled with corporations.
While many of the same issues were discussed at both conferences, the settings and attendees couldn't have been more different.
At the corporate conference in Amsterdam, they spent a lot of time talking about producers with next to no producers in the room to share their view. At the producer conference in Berlin, they spent a lot of time talking about the structural challenges of industrial food with next to no corporations in the room.
I think it's about time that we stop talking about each other and start talking to each other.
I recognize that breaking down silos is hard, but we know that the best ideas are born out of diversity and we could use a lot more intentional diversity at these events. I'm very pro gathering communities, but I'm also pro us stepping outside of our comfort zone / bubbles.
As a frequent speaker and MC in the agrifood space, I’m also very passionate about how and why we gather. For each conference, I wrote up notes on the event design and flow, which you can read here and here.
My Key Takeaways from Both Events
Here’s what I learned about the state of regenerative agriculture in Europe following all the keynotes, panels, and one-on-one conversations I had:
1. There is no regen ag bachelors program in Europe, but there is ONE masters program. This is crazy. Most students go to school for 3 years only to unlearn everything they were taught. If you know of a regen ag school in Europe, please reply to this email and let me know about it. I'm making a list!
2. I met an awesome female farmer who told me she wouldn't be able to run the farm without her husband's help. Most farm machinery is designed for men and doesn't fit the female body. Idea for John Deere or Caterpillar to come out with a line for female farmers?
3. The corporate definition for regenarative agriculture seems to only include cover cropping and no till. This is just the tip of the iceberg and won't move the needle.
4. Since regenerative agriculture exists on a spectrum and there is no common definition, it's important that all parties share how they engage in the practice to ensure a fruitful & honest discussion.
5. A lot of corporations have made 2030 claims, but when we look at the number of hectares under transition the math doesn't add up. If corporations are serious about transitioning their supply chains, much more investment is needed to transition cropland and make these claims a reality.
6. Many regen farmers that are profitable have a D2C business model and are skipping over the middle men. TBD what other profitable business models could be and what this would look like at scale.
7. Many corporations have big issues around traceability and transparency in their supply chains. They have no idea who the farmer is that supplies them. This makes cooperation difficult and is a challenge that will need to be overcome.
A la point #7, the reality is that farmers and corporations aren't talking to each other. This was evident at both conferences. At the corporate one, there were no farmers. At the farmer one, there were no corporations and yet the whole time they talked about each other.
So many great solutions and innovations could be unlocked if executives and pioneering farmers actually sat in the same room and listened to each others challenges.
Which is why we’re doing something about it.
Scaling Regenerative Agriculture in Europe
As part of Top 50 Farmers, we're putting together mastermind groups that bring pioneering regenerative farmers and corporate execs together to ideate and collaborate.
Each Mastermind is organized around a discussion topic like transition financing, biodiverse supply chains, and climate risk resilience. The groups are intimiate and comprised of 10-12 farmers and industry executives that meet quarterly.
If you work for a corporation and would like to join a group, reply to this email and I’ll send you the details.