Tag: food

Paul Clarke – Smart Machines, AI and Modeling: engineering our way out

A conversation with Paul Clarke, technologist, innovator, inventor about technology and innovative tools from various domains, including modelling, digital twins, digital shadows, robots, and other smart hardware solutions that are crucial for the regenerative transition—tools we’ve barely begun to consider, let alone adopt.

We often hear about AI, machine learning, and large language models, but these represent only a fraction of what is currently available. Paul argues that the challenges we face are so immense that we cannot afford to ignore the potential of these technologies. They are essential for building better farms, advancing farm technologies, creating smarter robots and hardware, developing improved food systems, optimising food warehouses, and so much more.

This podcast is part of the AI 4 Soil Health project which aims to help farmers and policy makers by providing new tools powered by AI to monitor and predict soil health across Europe. For more information visit ai4soilhealth.eu.

DIGITAL TWINS

Paul talks about the potential of digital twins and other modelling technologies to improve farm technologies and food systems.

”The key thing is a digital twin has to have that modelling element. It has to be able to predict the future. It’s not just a data store. It’s not just a sort of a collection of data about some physical asset, the physical twin. But then the other key thing is it needs to be connected to its physical twin in both directions. So, if we think of an example of a weather forecasting system, that’s a digital shadow, it takes a lot of data in from weather stations around the world. It models it, it predicts the weather in the future. And then we get it on the, you know, on the news, so to speak, that that’s a digital shadow, because the connection is in one direction. What makes a true digital twin, in my terms and most of the terms, is that then, when you take those insights and you use them to control the real world, then you’ve created a digital twin.” Paul Clarke

SMART TECHNOLOGIES

There is a whole family of smart machines.

”I suppose the physical world started to come in terms of the more real-time applications, so software that interacts with the real world in terms of control, and then that led on to the whole area of what I would now call smart machines. Others might call them robots, but I think you know increasingly that robots are too narrow to describe the variety and diversity of smart machines as they exist now.” Paul Clarke

”The point is, one of the other flavours of AI, which is embodied AI, which is when you put that kind of intelligence, if we want to call it that, inside a machine, inside a smart machine, that’s the smarts, if you like, but it’s a symbiotic relationship, because the smart machine can also be the arms and legs of AI. It can allow AI to escape, if you like, from inside your desktop or whatever, and/or a server, and get out into the physical world, and do that with scalability and agency.” Paul Clarke

THE SUITE OF TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, BOTH HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE, THAT ARE AVAILABLE BUT WE ARE NOT USING IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

Paul discusses the need for a systems approach to agriculture, including the use of AI, smart machines, and modelling to optimise and automate processes. He highlights the importance of intersectionality in innovation, drawing on examples from different industries.

”So incredibly important in many areas, including when you want to innovate and model new technologies before they exist. So, if you’re inventing a new kind of robot or a new kind of smart machine, if you can do the modelling in silico, as it’s called, i.e., in a digital model, it’s much cheaper and faster and less risky than building prototypes in the physical world. But eventually, once you’ve sort of hammered out the design and you’re confident that it’s going to work in this digital model, then you start building the physical prototypes and putting them through their paces. And that’s when you start moving on to things like living labs as being environments in which you can do that testing. So, there is a whole ecosystem, if you like, that supports this blend of technologies. But the really exciting alchemy happens when you start cooking with all of them together.” Paul Clarke

”You need that blend of not just AI going off, you know, generative AI coming up with all sorts of weird and wonderful solutions, which actually wouldn’t work in physical but when you put it connected. And this is what has been happening in, for instance, architecture for some time.” Paul Clarke

OTHER POINTS DISCUSSED

Koen and Paul also talked about:

  • Importance of digital twins in modeling agricultural systems  
  • Role of AI and robotics in farming efficiency  
  • Need for a systems-thinking approach in food production 
  • The need for a greater level of understanding, compassion, and humility in managing the planet sustainably

LINKS:

LINKED INTERVIEWS:

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

This work has received funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant numbers 10053484, 1005216, 1006329].

This work has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

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Alice Henry – Finally real money for cover crops with sustainable aviation fuel

Crops and sustainable aviation fuel—probably not something you think about every day. Alice Henry, co-founder of Regenrate took a deep dive into why cover crops, which provide amazing benefits to farmers and farmland, are not more widely used. No big surprise—it’s about the money. Planting cover crops costs money, and the business model of carbon credits isn’t enough to nudge farmers.

Enter the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) market, where there is both money and massive demand due to changing European and global regulations. That means working with big oil majors and helping fossil fuel giants decarbonize. But aviation, in particular, needs to decarbonize quickly. We’re not flying any less—probably more—and electric aircraft are coming, but not fast enough and in too limited a capacity.

Enter non-food and non-feed competing cover crops, grown on land that would otherwise be bare, keeping more living roots in the ground for much more of the year. Regenrate aims to turning cover cropping from a cost into a revenue-generating practice.

Joseph Rehmann – Climate-positive fish is possible and its eggs are delivered by drones

A conversation with Joseph Rehmann, co-founder of Victory Farms in Kenya, with the mission to be the world’s most sustainable fish business and provide high nutrition protein to the mass market in Africa. How do you go from being a happy but unfulfilled banker to co-founding one of the leading and largest animal protein companies in East Africa?

We unpack Joseph’s journey into fish farming—specifically tilapia, a species indigenous to the region- and how he and his company are proving that it can have a net positive impact on the environment, people, and finances. Of course, Victory Farms’ journey hasn’t been without challenges. Feed is obviously a challenge and led to starting their own feed mill, reducing import of soy and maize from abroad and experimenting with local feed ingredients and cold chain and spillage. Managing the cold chain has been another significant challenge—especially in the East African context, where stable and clean electricity is notoriously hard to come by. Yet, they managed to figure out solutions using AI and machine learning and reduced spillage to under 1%, a remarkable achievement in an industry where losses often reach 30–40%.

We also dive into their bold decision to outsource a critical part of their value chain: the growing of eggs. By partnering with local village entrepreneurs who manage their own ponds, they’ve created a system where harvested eggs are delivered to Victory Farms using drones. This isn’t just a flashy gadget; but makes scale possible. A single drone carrying up to 500,000 eggs completes a trip in six minutes—a journey that would take a cooled truck two hours, assuming a road exists at all.

Angus McIntosh – Walking the talk on Farmer Angus’ land in South Africa

An afternoon stroll through the land of Angus McIntosh, also known as Farmer Angus, where we talk about brands, wine and get interrupted by dogs and, believe it or not, a grazing tortoise.  From his South African farm, Angus guides us through his groundbreaking practices, producing everything from grass-fed beef to carbon-negative wine. With every product, he redefines conscious consumption, making a compelling case for how our food choices can drive positive environmental change.

In a landscape where consumer demand for sustainability is rising, the potential for transformation in South African agriculture is immense. Beyond agriculture, we explore the challenges and triumphs of digital marketing in this field, highlighting the power of storytelling amidst social media setbacks.

Marcelo Salazar and Zé Porto – A forest super shake to preserve and regenerate the Amazon, the world’s largest agroforestry system

A conversation with Marcelo Salazar & Zé Porto, co-founders of Mazô Maná, about how we preserve what is left of the Amazon rainforest, regenerate the forest and, most importantly, truly partner with the Indigenous peoples of the forest who have been stewarding this ecosystem for generations. Yes, the Amazon is a vast, managed agroforestry system. Marcelo e Zé, after decades of working with NGOs deep in the Amazon and building careers with corporate tech giants like Google, decided to create a superfood shake made purely from nutrient-dense ingredients—up to 14— directly sourced from the forest, avoiding monoculture. Indigenous peoples partly own the company.

Why did they choose this model, and why are regenerative brands essential for elevating awareness and consciousness around deforestation? A healthy Amazon is crucial not only for the planet but also for local climates, as recent floods in São Paulo demonstrate. So, how can we encourage health-focused consumers in cities like São Paulo and Rio to buy superfoods from their “backyard”, rather than relying on imported products from overseas marketed by fancy foreign brands who are mostly good at marketing?

Antonio Nobre – If nature were a bank it would have been saved already

A conversation with Antonio Nobre, Brazilian agronomist by training and world’s leading Earth scientist, serving as the scientific director of the Biotic Pump Greening Group. He has dedicated his career to studying the Amazon’s ecological dynamics and its crucial role in climate regulation and is an expert on water cycles, native Indigenous knowledge, and much more.

We talk about how Antonio found his way to the Amazon after being born and raised in São Paulo, how he rebelled against the Green Revolution during his time at agricultural university, and how he discovered the incredible workings of forests—especially rainforests.
We also explore the overview effect—the transformative experience of seeing Earth from space—and how it often turns astronauts into environmental activists.

What we learned in 2024 about ecocide, land access crisis, regenerative education, return of inspiration, chefs, machinery and brands driving change

As we wrap up 2024, we reflect on a year that brought hope but also served as a wake-up call. With skyrocketing temperatures, droughts, fires, and floods, the challenges have been immense. But we were very lucky that we—both online and offline— had the chance to come together with many of the pioneers and builders in regenerative agriculture and food. At the same time, we were reminded that we, as part of nature, are at war with extractive forces.

Our takeaways on ambitious entrepreneurs, the many elephants in the room, role and legacy of farmers, innovation in water cycle restoration, money money money, building new industries. Many deep dives in soil health, starting with chefs, consumer brands driving change and educating consumers, walking the land with regenerative farmers, legends, role of AI and tools. And, finally, some milestones and highlights.

Kadir van Lohuizen – Walking the museum full of Food for Thought

A conversation with Kadir van Lohuizen, Dutch multimedia photojournalist, filmmaker, and a co-founder of NOOR, while walking his exhibition Food for Thought at Het Scheepvaartmuseum in Amsterdam. We talk about the power of photos and videos, how disconnected we are from nature and how our current food system works. We talk while walking though photos of large dairy facilities in Mongolia, farms in Saudi Arabia, beef operations in the US and onions farms of the Netherlands and vegetables and fruits plantations in Kenya, with produce cut in pieces and packaged ready to fly overnight to Amsterdam, London, etc.

A deep dive and a reality check of the current food and agriculture system and the power of visual storytelling.

Jacob Parnell – Move over chemicals, biological inputs work and we can provide farmers with accurate advice

A deep dive with Jacob Parnell, director of Agronomy at Biome Makers, into the evolving world of soil biology and biological inputs. Soil biology is the answer—no matter the question. While this may sound black-and-white, it is safe to say that soil biology holds the potential to resolve many global issues. So, where do we currently stand with soil biology research, and, more importantly, what does it mean practically for farmers? Many farmers are eager to transition away from heavy chemical inputs to biological alternatives. But, how do you know which ones work in your context?

Jacob discusses how the “black box” of biological inputs has disappeared in recent years. We now have enough trails and data to say to a farmer after done a soil biology test, this range of biological inputs will likely—up to 80% of the time—work well in your soils, providing specific, beneficial effects. This shift is revolutionary not only for farmers but also for the manufacturers of these products, who have historically marketed their products to work everywhere ( which obviously disappointed many farmers when they tried and product X didn’t perform). Now, companies can say “please don’t buy this product which likely won’t work in your context; try this one instead”.

Ali Bin Shahid, one of the few who can model and calculate water cycle restoration

A conversation with Ali Bin Shahid, an engineer with a deep background in permaculture (and a military one too), a passion for modelling and one of the very few people using data and engineering approaches to tackle critical questions about regeneration. We explore how to put numbers to abstract ideas like slowing water down, spreading it, and soaking it. What does “slow” actually mean? How do we measure it—by kilometres per hour, or some other metric? How much regeneration is required to restore rivers or trigger rains in a given landscape? And, for example, where globally do we have the biggest potential? Where is the biggest gap between the forest and water potential and the current situation on the ground?

It’s definitely possible to manage a few acres or a few hectares through observation, if you’re there for many decades or even through different generations. But as soon as we start talking about regeneration at the landscape level, we need numbers. We need numbers and models. Surprisingly, a lot is already possible: we can calculate to a relatively detailed degree, what certain flows of air, water, and moisture will look like in a landscape. This means you can start to calculate and imagine, almost at a parcel level, where we need to regenerate in order to restore, for instance, summer rains and year-round rivers.

The surprising part is how few people are doing this work. Ali is trying to quantify these ideas: how much water to slow, where the global potential lies, and the vast gaps between current conditions and what’s achievable.