Innovation Forum podcast

Weekly podcast – Regen agri partnerships: putting palm oil famers first

This week: Rob Nicholls from Musim Mas, Livelihoods Venture’s Sébastien de Royer and Rizki Pandu Parma at NGO SNV talk with Ian Welsh about a regenerative agriculture programme in Sumatra, Indonesia – Livelihoods Project. They explore the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in enhancing smallholder livelihoods and regenerative agriculture in sustainable palm oil production.

 

Plus: more food price volatility in 2025; Brazil opposes UN shipping levy on cost; global south urges EU to uphold corporate due diligence law while France considers rollback; Indonesia rethinks Paris Agreement commitment, in the news digest with Ellen Atiyah.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

Can US agriculture be carbon negative?

Marty Matlock from the University of Arkansas talks with Ian Welsh about how US agriculture can become a climate solution, transitioning to be a net-negative in terms of greenhouse gas. They discuss the innovation in existing farming practices necessary and how farmers can be at the forefront of the transition.

Monday briefing – Latest food trends and how to empower farmers

This week: Ian Welsh and Anamya Anurag explores emerging food trends in North America, including farmer inclusion specifically for underrepresented farmers and continued uncertainty around input costs, labour availability and policies. 

 

Plus: a short preview of a interview coming up in the Innovation Forum podcast with palm oil company Musim Mas, social business Livelihood Ventures and impact NGO SNV, discussing regenerative agriculture in Indonesia. Hear from SNV’s Rizki Pandu Parma talk about how farmers are being empowered by region ag projects.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

 

Click here for more information on upcoming complimentary webinars.

 

To learn more about food innovations, join us at the future of food and beverage forum USA (Minneapolis, 28-29 May) . Click here.

Weekly podcast – What ethical sourcing means for businesses today

This week: Andrew Wallis, CEO of business and human rights NGO Unseen, talks with Ian Welsh about what good practice looks like when companies are engaging on responsible sourcing and ethical trade issues. They discuss the opportunities business can take advantage of and what incoming legislation means for them.

 

Plus: more calls for delay in EU sustainability regulations; soy sector companies back threatened soy moratorium; why renewable energy's rise is unstoppable; and, EUDR  may threaten Scandinavian forestry, in the news digest.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

Best practice: How to find the opportunity from regulation

Wayne Jordash, managing partner at Beyond Human Rights Compliance, talks with Ian Welsh about how companies are engaging with evolving business and human rights regulation, particularly from the European Union. Wayne shares advice on how companies can approach risk assessments,  what to look out for and the opportunities from this approach.

Monday briefing – The business case for responsible sourcing and ethical trade

This week: Ian Welsh and Natasha Bodnar explores the critical link between climate change and human rights. They discuss innovative initiatives from organisations such as La Isla Network, Sainsbury’s, and Fairtrade, which aim to mitigate heat stress and support farmers in adapting to climate challenges, ensuring both worker well-being and supply chain resilience.

Plus: an interview preview with Andrew Wallis, CEO of UK anti-modern slavery charity Unseen, on the key drivers for corporate action on human rights.

Host: Ian Welsh

To learn more about innovative responsible sourcing initiatives, join La Isla Network, Sainsbury’s, Fairtrade and many more at the responsible sourcing and ethical trade forum (London, 19-20 March). Click here.

Click here for more information on upcoming complimentary webinars.

Weekly podcast – Could bio-based alternatives replace plastic packaging?

This week: Aidan Maguire, coalition programme manager at the Plastics Pollution Coalition, talks with Ian Welsh about latest innovative material solutions that could transform the packaging industry. They explore the challenge of developing alternatives to traditional plastics for packaging and debate the scalable solutions that are emerging. 

 

Plus: EUDR tightens paper packaging rules; the EU's omnibus regulation raises supply chain risk concerns; and, microplastics found in 99% of seafood, in the news digest by Ellen Atiyah.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

 

To continue the conversation on packaging solutions, join us in Amsterdam at the Sustainable Packaging Innovation Forum on 6-7 May. Click here for more information.

 

Click here for more information on upcoming complimentary webinars.

Enhancing soil health from the ground up

Marina Ettl and Simon Pogson from fertiliser business Yara International talk with Ian Welsh about how to maintain healthy soil. They discuss what best practice collaboration with growers looks like and how to conduct soil health data analysis, and highlight which specific data points farmers should focus on.

Weekly briefing – Sustainable packaging innovations and achieving EUDR compliance

This week: Ellen Atiyah and Ian Welsh reflect on the outcomes from the recent European Union Deforestation Regulation webinar series, which discussed the impact of the delay will have over the coming months on value chains across the palm oil, soy, coffee and cocoa sectors.

And  Lia Da Giau and Ian take about innovation in sustainable packaging. They highlight examples of material innovation and post-consumer waste management.

Host: Ian Welsh

For information on how to get involved at the sustainable packaging innovation forum in May in Amsterdam, click here.

Click here for more information on upcoming complimentary webinars.

Weekly podcast – Can agriculture become a greenhouse gas-negative industry?

This week: Marty Matlock, professor at the University of Arkansas, talks with Ian Welsh about latest research on soil sequestration, nitrogen use efficiency and regenerative farming. They reveal how existing farming practices could transform agriculture into a climate solution rather than a climate problem.

 

Plus: World Economic Forum demand urgent cooperation with global risks; UK's deposit return scheme excluding glass sparks debate; South Korea cuts biomass subsidies; and, Bloomberg steps in to cover US Paris climate funding, in the news digest, by Ellen Atiyah.

 

Host: Ian Welsh