A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I had noticed the term 'regen farming' was getting great traction but was somewhat lacking in meaning and resonance with key audiences. Here's an overview of the last 4 weeks of news across three key audiences - the food supply chain, the general public and the agricultural community - if you need to get up to speed. if not skip to the next bit!
Retailers and Food Suppliers
In the UK, regenerative farming is capturing the imagination of retailers and food suppliers alike. Unilever has embarked on its first UK regenerative agriculture project, working closely with local mustard and mint farms that supply Colman’s products. This initiative is set to boost soil health, enhance biodiversity, and slash carbon emissions, perfectly aligning with Unilever’s ambitious sustainability goals.
Joining this green revolution, McCain Foods has launched its "Regenerative Agriculture Framework." This exciting project aims to incorporate regenerative practices across 100% of their potato acreage by 2030, improving soil health, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and boosting biodiversity. Can you even mention re-gen without it being closely followed by Wildfarmed? In case you have been living under a rock, they are making waves by sourcing grains grown through regenerative methods, and their products are now featured in Waitrose stores, showing a growing consumer interest in sustainably produced food.
Engaging the General Public
Public enthusiasm for regenerative farming is on the rise, driven by a collective desire to tackle climate change, enhance food security, and promote sustainable farming practices and the perception that it is healthier. The Groundswell Festival, a key event in the UK, showcases this growing interest. It offers a vibrant platform for farmers, consumers, and environmental advocates to exchange knowledge and celebrate the benefits of regenerative agriculture, we are seeing more Joe public and agri-adjacent industries attending than ever before and they had the highest visitor numbers ever this year with around 8,000 people in attendance.
Consumers are increasingly seeking out sustainably produced food. Independent retailers are championing high-quality, pasture-based meat and dairy products, highlighting the significant shift towards more environmentally friendly consumption habits. This movement is essential in addressing the climate crisis and reducing dependency on intensive farming systems that heavily impact the environment.
Agricultural Community Insights
For the farming community, regenerative agriculture presents a promising solution to high input costs and soil degradation. The Soil Association, a leading advocate for organic and sustainable farming in the UK, has been at the forefront, promoting regenerative practices. They focus on improving soil health, enhancing biodiversity, and reducing chemical inputs, providing resources and support to farmers making the transition. but it is not without conflict as the purist organic farmers voice concerns over regen practices and their alignment with organic farming practices.
Farmers are increasingly adopting innovative practices such as reduced tillage, cover cropping, and livestock integration to revitalise soil health and minimise chemical dependencies.
Inspirational projects, like Wildfarmed, Suntory Group’s initiative on blackcurrant farms and Unilever’s work with mustard and mint farms, are paving the way. These projects aim to gather robust data and develop scalable models to encourage wider adoption across the UK's agricultural landscape.
One of the key questions is around the funding and who should carry the costs of adopting different agricultural practices as well as the risk. This is why I believe Re-Gen needs a rebrand.
It's still new and shiny to lots of those further along the supply chain than the farm gate, see the success of Wildfarmed in Waitrose & Partners. Regen is becoming big news in foodie circles.
But farmers aren't all onboard with the concept. I know this because we spoke to a whole bunch of farmers last week at Cereals Event and it came up a lot in conversation.
I then went to gGroundswll to make sure I understood more of the opinions and thoughts around the terminology. At both events, the team and I spoke to over 100 farmers and we found that it seems core audience isn't aligned to the narrative it makeing it very hard to run with. To those outside the industry, it might be hard to understand why farmers aren't on board. Let me share some of the pushback I have heard;
- There is no universally accepted definition of what it is...it's a bit wooly and thus hard to know what is and what isn't 'regen'
- It implies that there is something wrong with how farmers are doing things if they aren't regen...anyone working with farmers knows they aren't great at criticism of their life's work...
- The market demand or incentives to invest in regen practices just doesn't warrant the change for many farmers.
-Social science and cultural identity plays a big factor in this too.
- Some farmers feel like it's money for old boots and many feel their ethos of leaving the land in better condition than it was given to you is part of being a 'good' farmer...nothing new here.
So as a marketer...it got me thinking of how regen farming could be positioned and what I would do if I was brand manager...
After much consideration and conversation with both farmers and marketing experts, I’m excited to introduce a fresh term that I believe captures the essence of what we're striving for:
Enviro-Efficient Agriculture.
In my discussions with farmers at events like Cereals and Groundswell, it became clear that the term "regenerative" doesn't resonate with everyone. Here's why I chose "Enviro-Efficient Agriculture" and how it addresses some of the concerns:
"Enviro": Unlike "eco," which can sometimes feel overused or off-putting, "enviro" connects directly to environmental stewardship. It highlights a commitment to enhancing soil health, increasing biodiversity, and supporting ecosystems without implying any criticism of current farming practices.
"Efficient": This term speaks to the practical side of farming. Efficiency is a goal we can all get behind, whether it's through reducing inputs, improving soil health, increasing biodiversity, or maintaining/improving yields. "Efficient" covers the full spectrum of what modern agriculture aims to achieve. It means we can align metrics under the terminology depending on how individual farms are defining efficiency to make up a whole farm picture no matter if the goals are different - a key component that many schemes are lacking as each farm can be soured on it's own objectives.
Inclusive and Positive: The term avoids the pitfalls of sounding judgmental or vague. Instead, it presents a balanced, forward-thinking approach that respects traditional farming wisdom while encouraging sustainable innovation.
Moving Forward
I believe that Enviro-Efficient Agriculture can bridge the gap between traditional farming practices and the innovative, sustainable methods that regenerative agriculture promotes. It's a term that respects the hard work and dedication of our farming community while pushing us towards a more sustainable future.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this rebranding. How do you think this new term resonates with the principles of sustainable farming? Does it address the concerns raised about "regenerative" farming?
Let’s continue this important conversation and work together to build a narrative that aligns with both our environmental goals and the practical realities of farming...while also being simple, uncomplicated and easy to adapt to.
Comments