Groundswell is a magical place. More than just The Regenerative Agriculture Festival, it is a gathering of 8,000 progressive and like-minded people, committed to improving soil health and championing sustainable farming practices to save our planet.
It’s no secret that modern cereal varieties can produce high yields when grown with massive inputs of fertilisers and other agrichemicals. However, this widespread approach has left our food systems dangerously exposed to pests, diseases, climate change and the destruction of our once healthy soil.
But there are solutions.
Genetically diverse populations of heritage grains can be grown without agrichemicals in a way that nurtures the soil, supports biodiversity and produces top quality grain. At Fielden, we’re regenerating England’s fields with heritage grain populations which are more resilient in the field and adapt to climate change. Our grains grow in a bed of white clover - a natural fertiliser that supplies the grains with the nitrogen they need to stay healthy, naturally, without any chemicals. This living understory nourishes the soil and supports insects, bees and wildlife in our fields too. We believe that the first step in developing a more sustainable cereal production system is to embrace diversity.
MEET OUR GROUNDBREAKERS
Our panel talk at Groundswell brought together our Groundbreakers - pioneers in growing heritage grains - to discuss these exceptional crops and their role in a regenerative approach to growing food and spirits. Meet Will Dorman and Dr. Noam Chayut. Their work is not only inspiring, but crucial to our planet’s future.
Will Dorman - Natoora
Will Dorman is a regenerative design consultant, freelance journalist, chef, and currently the UK Sourcing manager at Natoora. With a deep passion for food sovereignty and collective empowerment, Will’s work across different parts of the food industry has given him unique insight into the changes we can make to shift towards a regenerative mindset.
Through his work at Natoora he has pushed for sourcing fruits and vegetables that prioritise diversity, both in terms of varietal selection, as well as in the ecosystems and on the scales in which they are produced.
@natooraRead more about Will’s amazing work at https://groundswellag.com/speakers/will-dorman/
Dr Noam Chayut - John Innes Centre
Dr Noam Chayut, a senior scientist in the department of Crop Genetics at John Innes Centre (JIC) is an applied crop geneticist and has led the Germplasm Resources (GR) team since 2018. Noam’s research is aimed at broadening the gene-pool diversity used in crop science, and empowering crop improvement. The GR team is the custodian of UK strategic crop collections comprising over 50,000 publicly available wheat, barley, oat and pea seeds and plants. The varied genetic material contained in the collection is distributed internationally to support crop science, breeding, conservation, and farming.
@johninnescentre
Read more about Noam’s amazing work at https://groundswellag.com/speakers/dr-noam-chayut/
Fielden is part of a growing regenerative movement and Groundswell is always an inspirational place to join others changing farming for the better. Oh, and we enjoy the drinks and dancing too.
