technology – Investing in regenerative agriculture

AI in Ag: What’s Possible, What’s Not, What Farmers Need to Know @ Groundswell 2025

9th January 2026 antonellatotaro 0 Comments

AI is transforming agriculture, how can farmers and land managers be sure it works for them? What digital twins, soil health metrics, novel robot sensors and other technologies can do to support profitable farming and enable ecosystem service payments—while also addressing critical questions about data rights, governance, and ownership like: How can farmers and landholders retain control of their own data and capture more of the value AI creates? How can the new tech help farmers to monitor, track and predict soil health and empower them to make on-farm decisions? Through maps and real-world examples, let’s explore limits and opportunities.

This episode was recorded live at Groundswell 2025, in the UK, one of the most important gatherings for regenerative agriculture in the world. During the panel Koen moderated on AI in Ag: What’s Possible,What’s Not, What Farmers Need to Know we dove into into challenges and opportunities with the scientist Ichsani Wheeler, the farmer and investor Maarten van Dam, the journalist Louisa Burwood-Taylor and the fund manager Naeem Lakhani.

What we learned in 2025 about making regen bankable, animals, water, chefs, scale, Al in ag, agroforestry, education, food as medicine, ROl, storytelling

26th December 2025 koenvanseijen 0 Comments

If 2025 had a soundtrack, it would be the sound of stress: stress in the system, stress in humans, stress in animals and in all other non human beings.

And then the cycle of Heat. Drought. Fire. Flood. Over and over again.
And yet, between the headlines, something else seems happening. We spent the year in conversation—with farmers walking their fields, scientists questioning old assumptions, investors rethinking risk, and builders experimenting in the real world. Online and offline, we found ourselves in rooms where regeneration wasn’t an abstract ideal, but really happening.

As 2025 comes to a close, it’s hard not to feel cautiously optimistic. The signals are there. Regeneration works and the direction is becoming clearer.

Matt Schmitt – How to make regenerative food and agriculture bankable

11th February 2025 koenvanseijen 0 Comments

A conversation with Matt Schmitt, founder of Structure Climate, about how to get institutional investors invest in the regenerative food and agriculture transitions. These are big terms we use regularly, but what do they actually mean and, more importantly, how do we get there? How do we get novel climate technologies- like biochar machinery, chestnut agroforestry systems, biofertilizer plants, or weeding robots- bankable? Novel technologies often start as luxury goods with a clear customer demand, even if they don’t yet have many existing transactions, just very clear customer interest.
How do we make these technologies investable, or at least recognisable, by major financial institutions (like the big, “boring” banks, insurance companies, and pension funds). We need billions and trillions to flow to the soil. So, how do we get these asset managers over time to start financing this seriously, in the same way they do solar projects or sustainable real estate?

How does a capital stack for a novel technology look like, and how do we financially engineer it with creativity—the good kind, not the kind that caused financial crises in the past decades? To roll these technologies out across farms and landscapes, we need scalable solutions. While commodification in food and agriculture has a bad reputation, turning enabling technologies into bankable commodities can be a good thing. It helps farmers adopt systems that hold more complexity and resilience on their land.

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

4th February 2025 koenvanseijen 0 Comments

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.

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

21st January 2025 koenvanseijen 0 Comments

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.

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

20th December 2024 koenvanseijen 0 Comments

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”.

Alf Gøran Knutsen – The good, bad opportunities of the multi million dollar salmon industry, from shooting lasers under water to feed

6th August 2024 koenvanseijen 0 Comments

Salmon: there isn’t a more contagious topic within aquaculture than salmon farming. With Alf Gøran Knutsen, CEO of Kvaroy, a leader in the world of sustainable salmon farming, we discuss the opportunities to grow a potentially very sustainable source of protein and omega-3 in a way that makes sense. We explore the fascinating world of salmon, mostly open-net pen aquaculture in the ocean in Norway, but also hybrid flow-through models. We discuss biology and technology, feeds- from using wild fish which we could eat like anchovies from Chile to soy from questionable sources in the ex Amazon- and the crazy developments in this very young industry. We also discuss AI and how lasers are shooting sea lice from salmon underwater.

Salmon farming is the biggest success story in aquaculture, at least in the global north, but it is also full of huge challenges like pollution. Picture salmon feces floating out of a net pen, sea lice, and all the chemical solutions used to combat these parasites.

Jay Albany – Despite the graveyard of D2C companies, it can actually work in the world’s most remote city

19th July 2024 koenvanseijen 0 Comments

A conversation with Jay Albany, CEO of Dirty Clean Food, about what it takes to build a successful direct-to-consumer business- basically buying from regen farmers and delivering to consumer, restaurants, etc.- in the regen space and in the most remote city on the planet. Despite all challenges of B2C, Jay makes a passionate case for the contrary. A deep dive full of golden nuggets of direct-to-consumer companies, what works and what doesn’t, but also a long conversation on the power of transparency within businesses and the most important return of all, inspiration.

What are the lessons learned? Looking at the graveyard of direct-to-consumer companies we have seen, especially in COVID years, raising a lot of money, struggling, or shutting down. Does that mean disrupting the current supermarket oligopolies isn’t worth it?

Jason Hayward-Jones – Corporates paying for low carbon grains and why virtual twins are key in gaming and Scottish whiskey

25th June 2024 koenvanseijen 0 Comments

A check-in interview with Jason Hayward-Jones, founder & director at REGENFARM Ltd., and Sustainable Agriculture Specialist at Cefetra, about why corporations are suddenly paying for low-carbon grain, what it has to do with virtual digital twins, why that is such a potentially disruptive technology and, finally, why it is connected with gaming and Scottish whisky.

Bridget Emmett – Moving over carbon soil compaction is the real issue in agriculture

21st June 2024 koenvanseijen 2 Comments

A conversation with Bridget Emmett, British ecologist, Professor and Science Area Head for the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, about the EU Mission Soil, what is the role of technology, remote sensing, digital twins, etc, and what role should and could policy play.

Tag: technology