A major international conference - February 2021
About the Conference
The Save Our Soil conference ran over three days from 24-26th February 2021, with 48 speakers discussing diverse topics. The day themes were:
Day 1: Farming, Land Management and Circular Economy
Day 2: Water, Waste and New Income Streams
Day 3: Biodiversity, New Trends and Inspiration
See information below about the individual sessions, and links to watch the session on our Springfield Agri YouTube channel.
The Challenges Facing Farmers
Alice De Soer, Founding Director, Rural Response, set the scene on Day 1 considering the challenges ahead for farmers with the reduction, and ultimate removal, of direct payments during the Agricultural Transition period. She discusses the potential opportunities available under future government farm support schemes, as well as private funding, and how regenerative agriculture may fit into the picture.
Discussion led by Catherine Weetman with a group of farmers
Catherine Weetman, Author of A Circular Economy Handbook, Circular Economy Club, moderates this session with a group of farmers representing mixed, arable, dairy and hill farming communities. The discussion touches the business case from farmer's perspective as well as the challenges faced, positive experiences and outcomes as a result of changes made in farming practises.
- David Lord, Farmer, Lord and Hunt, Earls Hall Farm
- Neil Heseltine, Farmer, Hill Top Farm
- Adam Driver, Managing Partner, Driver Farms
- Ian O'Reilly, Farmer, Gazegill Organics (unable to attend)
Investment, Uncertainty and Trust
Jan England, Managing Director, England Marketing, discusses a number of challenges facing farmers who are considering embracing a regenerative approach to farming. In general terms these come under the heading of investment, uncertainty and trust. Jan will examine each of these in more detail and suggest some possible solutions.
Panel session on Regenerative Agriculture moderated by Mark Shayler
Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.
- Adam Driver, Managing Partner, Driver Farms
- David Lord, Farmer, Lord and Hunt, Earls Hall Farm
- Ian O'Reilly, Farmer, Gazegill Organics
- Harry Holden, Regenerative Agriculture, Springfield Agri
Circular Economy - Global Perspective
Dr Stefanos Fotiou, Director Environment and Development Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific talks about circular economy and the links with regenerative agriculture. He presents circular economy as a way to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies and focuses on policy tools that can support circularity in the agricultural sector. He also includes a note on how we need to change our perception on understanding and acting upon sustainability.
Circular Economy - UK Perspective
Catherine Weetman, Author of A Circular Economy Handbook, Circular Economy Club, talks about the Circular Economy for Agriculture. The challenges with our planetary boundaries, land use change, soil erosion and loss of mycelium, monocultures etc. and how structural waste takes place. She also discusses the solutions and how they create resilient, sustainable and profitable farming businesses.
Circular Economy - Regional Perspective
Wallace Sampson OBE, Chief Executive, Harrogate Borough Council, highlights the challenge and scale of change required in achieving ambitions to be a carbon negative region. He also outlines how he sees the circular economy playing a key role in tackling a multitude of systemic problems.
Panel session on Agricultural Circular Economy moderated by Mark Shayler
Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.
- Wallace Sampson OBE, Chief Executive, Harrogate Borough Council
- Winnie May Chan, Research Scientist
- Catherine Weetman, Author of A Circular Economy Handbook, Circular Economy Club
- Ben Stocking, Director, Green Circle Nature Regeneration CIC
Day Two
Thursday 25th February 2021
Give your surplus food purpose with FareShare
Shula Granville, Commercial Manager from FareShare speaks about their work as the UK's food waste distribution charity. Shula focuses on how the organisation supports the food industry in tackling food waste and how they can help the farming community in reducing waste and reaching their sustainability goals. The presentation also highlights FareShare's work to combat food poverty across the UK, identifying the social and environmental impact of their work with the food industry, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic
Energy efficiencies for Farming
Mark Walton-Hayfield, Director, Envision Digital - Using examples from recent client projects Mark explains how two of the many use cases which the Envision Digital EnOSTM platform supports enable farming, farmers, and land owners to be more profitable, efficient, and increasingly Net Zero in the way they farm their land.
Waste & Energy Panel session moderated by Mark Shayler
Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.
- Shula Granville, Commercial Manager, FareShare
- Mark Walton-Hayfield, Director, Envision Digital
- David Newman, Founder, Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association (BBIA)
- Holly Whitelaw, Founder, Cornwall Gleaning Network, Regenerative Food & Farming and Cornwall Climate Action Network
Farming Regeneratively – how to start
Clare Hill, Director of Regenerative Agriculture, FAI farms leads an interactive session, sharing experiences of her transition to farming regeneratively on FAI’s 1200 acre beef, sheep and laying hen farm. Highs, lows and difficult decisions are all be discussed. Delegates are left with their own worksheet to enable more regenerative journeys to begin.
The Farmer's perspective - Agricultural Finance
Martin Lines, UK Chair, Nature Friendly Farming Network, discusses how agricultural rents and finance can truly reflect the assets held and the benefits to improve future returns on its value. Why soil organic levels, soil health, natural capital and farming practices should matter in its valuation.
Financial Collaborations: A Pay Off In Spades
Martin Allen Morales, Consultant, Be The Earth Investments talks about the potential to grow by nurturing partnerships with investors like Be The Earth Investments & Foundation and business support providers like 2N Management which can help bring expertise and values-aligned finance for impact. He also proposes to form the Regenerative Entrepreneurs and Investors Network (REIN) and seeks to find those wishing to co-create it at SOS Conference 2021.
Finance Panel session moderated by Mark Shayler
Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.
- Oliver McEntyre, National Agricultural Strategy Director, Barclays
- Thomas Gent, Founder, Gentle Farming
- Martin Lines, UK Chair, Nature Friendly Farming Network
- Joanne Marlowe, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, UFT Commercial Finance
Day Three
Friday 26th February 2021
The need for systems change and climate stewardship
Patrick Holden, CEO, Sustainable Food Trust, talks to Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri about the need to change the system of farming and in- particular the importance of farmers becoming climate stewards and biodiversity stewards. Farmers are the essential elect in the battle to reverse climate change. Patrick looks at the split between the land sparers and the land sharers. How can we all work together to meet a shared this shared goal? This is an insightful and wide ranging talk that highlights Patrick’s role in leading this debate. Patrick argues that we have 10 years, at most, to sort this out.
When Kirsty met Tony
A discussion between Kirsty Henshaw, Managing Director, Kirsty's Thoughtful Food and Tony Mulgrew, Chef, Ravenscliffe School, on why healthy nutritious food doesn't have to be expensive and the positive impact nutritious meals have on the children's performance at school - whilst Tony cooks up a delicious dish!
Harnessing digital technology to transform agri-food systems
Hermione Dace, Policy Analyst, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, discusses discuss the opportunities presented by digital technology to transform our food system and the policy issues governments must address to help scale agri-food technologies and create a food system fit for the 21st century.
Net Zero - Challenges and Opportunities
Alex Sobel, Chair of the All Party Group on Net Zero, Labour Party, discusses the importance of planning for land use and taking the biodiversity net gain into account. He highlights the challenges our governments, local authorities and the different organisations are facing in keeping the wellbeing of our climate and environment at the top of the agendas. He also shares some of the findings from the inquiry into UK progress in reducing nitrate pollution by the Environment Audit Committee. Full report here.
Panel discussion moderated by Mark Shayler
Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.
- Lindsay Graham, Vice Chair, Poverty and Inequality Commission Scotland
- Dr Tony Butler, Researcher into Regenerative Agriculture
- Ben Taylor-Davies, Bioagriecologist, Regenben
Re-generation Earth
Doug Wanstall, Co-Founder Re-generation Earth, discusses the introduction of a novel, fast growing sterile hybrid tree that produces high value hardwood timber, sequesters large amounts of CO2 and that delivers a range of other eco system services. At Re-Generation Earth we place People, Planet and Profit on an equal footing and believe that well designed land based projects will become the answer (along with emission reductions) to anthropological climate change.
Biodiversity Panel discussion moderated by Mark Shayler
Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.
- Doug Wanstall, Co-Founder, Re-generation Earth
- John Tucker, Director of Woodland Outreach, Woodland Trust
- Emma Robinson, Farmer, Gazegill Organics
- Ian O'Reilly, Farmer, Gazegill Organics
Soil and the security of water, food and climate
Professor John Crawford, Chair of the Adam Smith Business School, Glasgow University, presents some of the latest insights into what is known about the link between carbon and the soil functions that are important to us, including water storage, nutrient dynamics, and greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, he presents a perspective on how we can (and must) deliver better soil health on a global scale in partnership with farmers.
