I spent most of my time in the Agroforestry Tent although I did go to hear Gabe Brown speak in the Big Top and get a sense of how instrumental he has been in Groundswell and the regenerative agriculture movement generally.
The Agroforestry Tent went really well again, with the sessions very well attended and appreciated, and the 1-2-1 design clinics in the ‘annexe’ well utilised too.
I had some useful time with Soil Association collaborators and impromptu/enjoyable conversations with people from other partner organisations such as University of Reading, Abacus Agriculture and National Sheep Association. Also, time spent with ORC colleagues is always a valuable co-benefit of events like this!
I left Groundswell with a spark in my eyes. It showed me how the Organic Research Centre does what it does so well: it combines science, practical support, and open, heartfelt dialogue to push forward the agroecological transition.
In a sea of possibilities, often industry focused, I was drawn to the sessions that gave me a thrill of hope, the kind that moves you because of their honesty. Rob Hopkins’ talk did exactly that. He took us joyfully into the future and in that future, we had won! It set the tone for the whole event: inviting hope into our imagination.
I also came to deepen my understanding of soil health to better support the Feed the Soil, Living Mulch Farming System and GreenGrass projects at ORC. I learned how the physical, biological, and mineral aspects of soil interact in a brilliant discussion (Uncovering Limiting Factors on Your Farm) with Abby Rose, Tim Williams, Ian Robertson, and Jed Soleiman. In the Soil Medic tent, I explored composting techniques, from aerobic to bokashi, with Andrew Sincock, The Land Gardeners, Marc Verhofstede, and Tom Mitchell.
I met the people behind The Gaia Foundation’s wonderful Seed Sovereignty programme, linking their work to our LiveSeeding project. And I was proud to witness my Emergent Generation peers amplifying youth voices in regenerative food and farming.
It was a buzzing few days and I’m already looking forward to next year.
By far the most impactful session I attended was Food system shocks: what’s needed for civil food resilience? presented by the excellent Tim Lang, which really highlighted the need for the UK to recognise and work to resolve some of the weaknesses in our current food supply chain. It gave me a lot of food for thought on the whole concept of systems resilience and how that might fit in with our work at ORC. There were also some great sessions in the Soil Association tent, including one on the work the private sector is doing to support sustainable land management, and another on the role and interests of the public sector in agroecology which provided some insights into public sector priorities for agriculture. The main success of Groundswell for me was in speaking with interested stakeholders following the Feed the Soil talk in the soil medic tent. I always appreciate a chance to chat to people we haven’t connected with yet and see how our research can work for them, and it’s always a good chance to hear different perspectives from farmers on the challenges they are facing. I particularly enjoyed hearing thoughts from farmers on how they see new technologies – from AI to advances in machinery for regenerative potatoes to precision weeding robots for living mulches – fitting into the future of their profession.
I contributed to the AHDB session Trials and Tribulations; getting more from on-farm trials and the Living Mulches – step by step guide session with Matt England. It was heartening to see how well received the printed Agricology living mulches guide went down with the crowd, something that never would have come about without the original work ORC did on living mulches. We also launched the printed version of the Agricology James Robinson farmer profile and that it went down really well, great to see so much interest in an organic farmer profile in the Groundswell space.
Read also Alice Farmery’s Reflections on Groundswell 2025 on Agricology.
