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By Agroempresario.com
Farmers are the foundation of a regenerative food system, yet many face significant barriers when trying to adopt regenerative practices on their land. During the recent Regenerative Food Systems Investment (RFSI) Europe event in Brussels, a panel of farmers discussed some of the major obstacles hindering the widespread implementation of regenerative agriculture. While numerous issues were addressed, a few stood out as the most pressing.
Access to land has long been a challenge for farmers across Europe, particularly for those who are just starting out in the business. Iris Claessens, a panelist and the operator of Sierveld Farm in the Netherlands, shared her experience with the difficulties of acquiring land for regenerative farming. “In the beginning, we were kind of afraid to dream big because to buy a farm in the Netherlands was almost impossible,” she explained.
For Claessens, renting land was also not a viable option for long-term investments. “As a farmer, you want to do a long-term investment, so if someone only promised you one year, it’s not enough,” she said. This is especially true for regenerative farming, which takes years, if not decades, to restore soils and ecosystems fully. At one point, Claessens and her team even considered relocating to France in search of more opportunities.
However, Claessens’ team eventually secured a farm through Lenteland, a foundation in the Netherlands that supports small regenerative farms between 10 and 25 hectares. These farms sell their produce to local consumers through a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) model and function as cooperatives, where ownership is shared among several farmers, all of whom live on the land. “In this way, we share the ownership, but we also carry together the responsibility of this piece of land,” Claessens explained. “This connection between the farm, the land, and the consumers is very important.”
Another pressing issue, particularly in the UK, is the aging population of farmers. Luke Hassell, CEO of The Story Farms in the UK, voiced concerns about the average age of farmers in his country. “The biggest obstacle in the UK is probably the average age of the farmer [around 59],” he noted. “Where are the youth? I feel really passionate about trying to enable that to happen, but we need these small farms [to do that].”
The Story Farms has created opportunities for younger people to enter farming by providing support to those who cannot afford to buy their own land. Hassell highlighted the challenge many young aspiring farmers face: “They probably feel like they can’t achieve [the dream of farming] because they don’t own the field.”
As the conversation shifted to the topic of funding, João Valente, a second-generation owner of Monte Silveira Farm in Portugal, shared his challenges in attracting investment for his farm. Valente explained that in order to secure funding, he had to leave his “comfort zone” and learn the corporate language of investors, which often does not align with the long-term nature of regenerative farming. “I’ve talked with so many investors and impact investors, family offices, etc. And unfortunately, no one seeks to understand the path of the farm. People want results fast, and they don’t understand that nature takes time,” he said.
Hassell added that his farm has experimented with crowdfunding, which has proven beneficial in fostering a community that supports the farm's mission. However, he also emphasized the challenges of relying on traditional banking systems: “Borrowing money from the banks is something I’m trying to steer away from. We don’t want any more debt.”
Valente echoed this sentiment, stressing that regenerative farmers are not looking for traditional financial returns but rather sustainable, long-term solutions. “I think the biggest obstacle is that they don’t understand the language of nature,” he said. This statement resonated with the audience, who applauded his comments. “They look at a farm from the financial perspective as an asset that’s going to have some revenue. That’s the mindset of investors,” Valente added.
While much of the conversation focused on the challenges farmers face, the panel also highlighted the importance of data and research in demonstrating the viability of regenerative farming. Hassell emphasized the importance of moving beyond the romanticism of regenerative agriculture to show that it can be profitable as an alternative to conventional farming. “Data is crucial to show that regenerative agriculture can be financially viable and not just an idealistic concept,” he said.
Claessens also pointed to the importance of data when making decisions about the farm, particularly when it comes to expansion. She highlighted the need for more reliable information to guide farmers in their decision-making processes.
Valente is taking action to bridge this gap in data by creating the Impact Hub at his farm. This hub focuses on research related to soil health and ecosystem resilience, collaborating with national and international scientific institutions. “I didn’t have a lot of money, but I had land, I had some houses, and I had a lot of knowledge,” he explained. “We’ve been farming organic, no-till, for 20 years. We are probably now the ninth organic-certified farm in Europe and the only large-scale farm certified as regenerative and organic. We can provide that knowledge to show others.”
Despite the numerous challenges, there is hope for the future of regenerative farming. The panelists emphasized that by creating more accessible avenues for land ownership, offering alternative funding sources, and using data to prove the profitability of regenerative agriculture, the industry can grow and thrive. The key is to connect investors, farmers, and consumers in a way that values the long-term health of the land and the communities it supports.
As Valente summed up: “Spend some time on the farms, understand what we do, and then you’ll see why we do it. It’s not just a business. It’s a responsibility we take on to protect the land for future generations.”
