What if the future of farming didn’t depend
on removing animals from the land—but bringing them back?

In a world obsessed with lab-grown meat, precision-fermented proteins and livestock-free agriculture, this series makes the case for something far older—and more radical: animals as agents of regeneration.

The idea was born out of many conversations with farmers as most advanced regenerative farmers, at some point, consider integrating animals—a huge step for many.

In the current story of agriculture, animals have long been misunderstood, misrepresented, or simply left out of the narrative. Yet when thoughtfully integrated, animals are not just part of the solution—they are essential to restoring soil, ecosystems, and communities faster.

Through putting the spotlight on farmers, land stewards and scientists at the forefront of regenerative transformation, the series explores how animal integration- done well- can regenerate landscapes and enrich livelihoods in ways that are ecologically sound, economically viable, and culturally respectful.

Shifting from an industrial to a regenerative system

Reconnection has been called the main goal of regeneration: reconnecting humans with the land, trees with animals, plants with soil and animals with us. 

It all sounds nice in theory, but in practice many farmers today face real challenges when trying to reintegrate animals into their operations, including:

• A lack of trusted knowledge and resources on how to reintegrate animals into farming and on how to shift from an industrial, high input/high output system to a regenerative one
• Market barriers and limited consumer understanding (e.g., where to sell regenerative animal products once produced)
• Policy and economic systems that reward industrial models over holistic ones (we often hear pioneering farmers say “Everything I try to do is illegal”)

This series shines a light on brave farmers going against the grain. When the rest of the world claims agriculture would be better without animals, they show that animals play a crucial role in regeneration. 

The journey is not easy nor straightforward. There are no set recipes or playbooks. The path is difficult and full of uncertainty, but ultimately extremely rewarding ecologically, socially and environmentally. At stake is the reconnection of animals, humans, and the land.

The Role of Animals in the Food and Agriculture system of the future series is co-produced and supported by the Datamars Sustainability Foundation.

• Ichsani Wheeler – We need more large animals in our landscapes
• Walking the land with Benedikt Boesel – Fully integrating 300 cows into a 1000-hectare arable very sandy farm
• Dianne, Ian and Matthew Haggerty – Food, not commodities: how regenerative agriculture works at scale on 63,000 acres
• Jonathan Lundgren – You need more cows, not fewer, to save the planet