Innovation Forum podcast

The future of cotton farming: scaling regenerative sourcing

On 6th June, IF hosted a free webinar in partnership with CottonConnect.

Regenerative sourcing has shown significant promise for the cotton industry; helping to regenerate soils, support ecosystems, and improve farmer livelihoods all whilst increasing yield. With initial pilots showing the potential for transformative impact, how can this approach now be implemented at scale?

In this webinar, we used CottonConnect's work with cotton farmers in Gujarat as a case study to discuss:

• The challenges that remain in the cotton industry, and the potential for regenerative agriculture as a solution
• How best to work with local partners on the ground to implement regenerative programmes
• What are transferable lessons for regenerative transformation in the cotton sector globally

We heard valuable insights from:

• Alison Ward, CEO, CottonConnect
• Hardeep Desai, global head – farm programmes, CottonConnect
• Prakash Philip, senior director – monitoring evaluation & learning, CottonConnect

This discussion was moderated by Toby Webb, founder, Innovation Forum.

To learn more about CottonConnect's work with cotton farmers in Gujarat you can watch this film, and for more information on CottonConnect click here.

Engaging in landscape approaches: a how-to guide

Patrick Mallet, director for innovations at ISEAL Alliance, and Rachel Wall, project manager for landscapes and collaborations at Proforest, talk with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the importance of investing in landscape initiatives and what landscape actions can look like in practice. They discuss ISEAL Alliance's position papers that provides baseline expectations for companies on how to engage with landscape approaches and then how to communicate about their engagement.

Weekly briefing: KFC’s climate change commitments

KFC's chief sustainability officer Nira Johri and global chief development officer Nivera Wallani speak with Ian Welsh about the company's climate commitments across scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Hear how the brand's sustainability strategy is closely integrated with its overall development plans.

 

Also, Innovation Forum’s Natasha Bodnar discusses with Ian what to expect at the upcoming scope 3 emissions innovation forum in Amsterdam on 12th and 13th June. Click here for full registration details. 

 

Hear from Innovation Forum’s Sarah Jackson about the sustainable packaging innovation forum taking place in Philadelphia on October 29^th and 30th, which will focus on the opportunities and benefits from sustainable packaging solutions. Full registration details can be found here.

 

Plus, Innovation Forum’s Savanna Razzaque chats with Vayda's CEO Mike Shoemaker about the company's direct work with growers to drive regenerative transformation and preview of their upcoming farmer-led discussion on 11th June. Sign up here. 

 

Finally, hear about the upcoming Innovation Forum webinar hosted in partnership with ofi. Chief sustainability officer Roel van Poppel discusses with Savanna the launch of the company’s Choices for Change sustainability strategy.

Biological solutions for sustainable agriculture: how agri-food stakeholders can efficiently scale, accelerate and unlock innovation

On 4th June, IF hosted a webinar in partnership with Bayer Crop Science. 

In recent years, the agricultural industry has witnessed a significant shift towards sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. Within this context, biologics – derived from natural resources such as microbes, plants, pheromones and other sources – are emerging as crucial agricultural tools in this transformation.  

Biological solutions have the opportunity to offer benefits for crop protection, soil health improvement, and regenerative farming practices. However, the ongoing discourse surrounding biologicals in agriculture contains uncertainties and misconceptions that warrant thorough exploration and discussion.  

Taking a myth-busting approach to dissect this prevailing discourse, our panel discussed:  

• What are the existing criticisms and hesitancies towards biologicals – and are these useful?  
• The role of biological crop protection in modern agriculture, with concrete examples of potential solutions.  
• How collaborative partnerships and initiatives within the food and ag industry can accelerate the commercialisation of the next generation of biological solutions 
• The current regulatory barriers for scale, and the outlook for the development of an enabling legal landscape 

We heard insights from:

• Benoit Hartmann, Head of Biologicals, Bayer Crop Science
• Christophe Breitenstroeter, Head of Crop Strategy, Bayer Crop Science
• Philippe Guerret, CEO, M2i Group
• Eirini-Christina Spanouli, Farmer

The discussion was moderated by Toby Webb, founder, Innovation Forum.

 

This is the third webinar (following part one and part two) in the 'Focus on Farmers' webinar series hosted in partnership with Bayer Crop Science.

Weekly podcast – How business can account for food loss to drive food security

This week: IFC’s senior industry specialist, Ahmad Slaibi and Tom Cumberlege, director at the Carbon Trust talk with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the development of their new food loss tool. They discuss how the tool can drive increased food availability and reduce significant food loss in developing countries, as well as further opportunities to collaborate with industry leaders to improve the tool.

Plus: new president of Mexico at crossroads in delivering the country’s energy transition and economic interests; Google to eliminate plastic from its consumer electronics packaging before their plastic-free 2024 deadline; Edinburgh city council sets to ban fossil fuel companies and advertising of high emission modes of transport; global efforts fall short of meeting 2030 targets for renewable electricity generation, says the International Energy Agency; and, climate change is set to be the central focus of UK labour party’s general election campaign, in the news digest. 

Climate transitions: how Brazilian soy can adapt to meet future demands

Niamh McCarthy, director for climate related risks at Climate Advisors, talks with Ian Welsh about the Brazilian soy sector’s risks from climate transition, including potential decreases in producer prices, and the opportunities that can arise from these risks. They discuss the projected rise in demand of plant-based proteins and share action points for companies within the sector to adapt to new demands to build resilience.

Monday briefing – From field to future: engaging smallholder farmers to deliver sustainable food systems

This week: At the future of food and beverage conference in Amsterdam, Jason Archie-Acheampong, international commercial programmes manager at Producers Direct, spoke with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about value chain actor and next-generation engagement in farming. They discuss the importance of improving farmer incomes and how to implement new technologies on-the-ground with farmers in mind.

 

Plus: Bayer Crop Sciences’ head of biologics Benoit Hartmann and Innovation Forum’s Savanna Razzaque talk about what to expect in the next focus on farmers webinar series. This complimentary webinar will focus on how agri-food stakeholders can efficiently scale, accelerate and unlock innovation. Click here to register.

Weekly podcast — The circular future for plastic and packaging

This week: Christopher Layton, director of circular policy strategy at Eastman, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the development of circular economy models for plastics and packaging. They discussed the potential for regional circularity and the regulatory approach that might help.

Plus: final approval for the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive; University of Cambridge study shows brightly coloured plastic products are up to 20% less likely to be recycled; US Farm Bill passed focusing on climate, nutrition and agricultural resilience; the Sun Cable project in Australia becomes the world’s largest renewable energy project; China projected to rely solely on recycled materials for electric vehicles in 15 years, according to the Contemporary Amperex Technology; and, the Science Based Targets initiative updates criteria for climate target-setting in the financial sector, in the news digest.

What will drive the regenerative revolution in transforming agriculture?

Vayda's CEO Mike Shoemaker talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh on the company's focus on designing and executing regenerative management plans to help growers protect yields while reducing input requirements. The buzz surrounding regenerative practices in the agriculture sector is seen as critical for addressing climate change. However, the industry is still in early stages, needing to transition from pilot programs to meaningful scale. They also discuss why we need to shift the mindset away from perceived trade-offs between environmental benefits and farm profitability and how regenerative agriculture will demonstrate its ability to meaningfully impact climate change at scale.

Uniting farmers, ranchers and stakeholders across the agricultural value chain

US Farmers and Ranchers in Action's CEO Kevin Burkum talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the critical role USFRA plays in uniting stakeholders across the value chain to address major global challenges. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration, innovation, and sustainability in agriculture, and addresses the financial pressures on farmers and the need for profitability to ensure the long-term sustainability of farming practices.