Event information
Groundswell
Come and find our tent at C26
The Groundswell Festival provides a forum for farmers, growers, or anyone interested in food production and the environment to learn about the theory and practical applications of regenerative farming systems. The AFN Network+ will again be having a stand, with a variety of sessions throughout the two days. We will be adding details, including the dates and times of sessions, as these are confirmed.
Building public resilience to food system shocks – the role of farmers & landowners
Wednesday 2 July, 11am-12pm
Professor Tim Lang’s research for the National Preparedness Commission asks; “what would the UK public do” in the case of a food system failure? Other countries, including Sweden, are beginning to build ‘civic defence’ into their food systems, so that communities have the resilience to continue feeding themselves, if food chains fail. What might this mean for the UK? How can farmers play their vital roles in working with local people and building community resilience? Join Professor Tim Lang (Emeritus Professor of Food Policy at City St George’s, University of London), Professor Angelina Sanderson Bellamy (Co-lead, AFN Network+, and Professor of Food Systems at the University of West of England (UWE)), and Polly Davies (farmer at Slade Farms) to discuss.
Alternative proteins – what’s in it for farmers & land use change?
Wednesday 2 July, 3-4pm
Livestock production and alternative proteins are likely to sit increasingly side-by-side in the coming years, with alternative products taking greater market share than currently. What might this mean for farmers? Are there potential opportunities? And what are the implications for land use change, carbon sequestration, and emissions in general? Our speakers share their research on this topic. Join Lisa Morgans (senior lecturer in Animal Health and Welfare at the Royal Agricultural University), Lydia Collas (Head of Natural Environment at Green Alliance), Jez Fredenburgh (AFN Network+ Knowledge Exchange Fellow based at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia) and Stuart Roberts (beef and arable farmer in Hertfordshire and formerly NFU vice and deputy president).
Fika
Wednesday 2 July, 4-5pm
Join us for tea, cake and a chat.
How do we get voters to care about food systems transformation?
Thursday 3 July, 9-10am
We know the evidence for a low emissions, biodiverse and healthy agri-food system, but peoples’ priorities are changing. With Reform on the rise, populist culture and misinformation risk derailing the appetite for change. In this roundtable session hosted by the AFN+ Champions we will come together to discuss ideas on how to help voters care about agri-food systems transformation. Places limited to 14, first come first served. Hosted by Elta Smith (AFN Year 3 Champion for Policy: Impact & Synthesis), Ali Morpeth (AFN Year 3 Champion for Policy: Food Systems Nutrition and Health), and Emily Norton (AFN Year 3 Champion – Policy: Land, Agriculture and Carbon), Ifeyinwa Kanu (AFN Year 3 Champion for Bioeconomy), and Zainab Oyetunde-Usman (AFN Year 3 Champion for Carbon Financing).
Is bigger better: farm finances, profitability & sustainability
Thursday 3 July, 10-11am
Is a bigger herd, bigger cow, bigger yield, always better? In this session, our speakers explore how livestock farmers can focus on improving their financial performance and optimising their own individual system. We will cover inputs, optimising herd size for winter management and carrying capacity, and selecting out unproductive animals. Join Charlotte Wheeler (Agriculture and Environment Policy Consultant at ICF), Nikki Yoxall (Technical Director at Pasture for Life), Clyde Jones (independent Regenerative Agricultural consultant), and Mike Roberts (third-generation farmer of a 435-acre mixed farm in Cornwall).
De-risking the transition – collective insurance and green financing
Thursday 3 July, 2-3pm
Farmers are under immense pressure and transitioning farming practices can feel daunting – and risky – in those first few years. For many farmers, this can be enough to stop them taking that leap. How could collective insurance and green financing in its many forms help de-risk and unlock that transition? Dr Zainab Oyetunde-Osman (AFN Year 3 Champion for Carbon Financing), Carolien Samson (Head of Sustainable Banking, Oxbury), and Emily Norton (AFN Year 3 Champion – Policy: Land, Agriculture and Carbon) share their latest research, including the viability of collective landscape-scale insurance.
Salary sacrifice – a tool to support sustainable farming?
Thursday 3 July, 3-4pm
The Balanced Bites project supports the development of resilient local and regional food systems by investing in initiatives that improve access to affordable, and nutritious food for all. Through public sector local food procurement and salary sacrifice schemes, it provides funding that promote sustainable food production, strengthen supply chains, and tackle food insecurity. Join Ifeyinwa Kanu (AFN Year 3 Champion for Bioeconomy), Ali Morpeth (AFN Year 3 Champion for Policy: Food Systems Nutrition and Health), and Andrew Loftus (National Livestock (Chair, North) and Net Zero Steering Group, NFU) to find out more.
About our speakers
Building public resilience to food system shocks – the role of farmers and landowners
Chair: Professor Angelina Sanderson Bellamy, Co-lead, AFN Network+
Angelina is a Professor of Food Systems at the University of West of England (UWE). She’s won £9.8 million in funding, including UKRI’s TGRAINS project and awards from AHRC, British Academy, Welsh Government and Horizon 2020. Angelina is an experienced leader of challenge-led interdisciplinary research on food systems, land use change, ecological resilience and ecosystem services.
Professor Tim Lang
Tim Lang is Emeritus Professor of Food Policy at City St George’s, University of London’s Centre for Food Policy, which he founded in 1994 and directed until 2016. For four decades he has researched, written, advised and lectured on the food system at international, national and local levels, particularly in relation to health, environment, social justice, the political economy and consumer culture. He previously spent seven years as a hill farmer, an experience which shaped his work ever since.
Polly Davies (farmer at Slade Farms)
Polly is a mixed organic tenant farmer and farms with her husband Graeme, in South Wales. The farm enterprises include beef, sheep, pigs and cereals, but since Brexit Polly and Graeme have focused on supplying the local community, with monthly meat boxes and seasonal weekly veg bags. The farm aims to have a balance system, minimising inputs by growing all feed for the stock, so reducing the external commodity price shocks as much as possible.
Alternative proteins – what’s in it for farmers & land use change?
Chair: Jez Fredenburgh, Knowledge Exchange Fellow, AFN Network+
Jez is our Knowledge Exchange Fellow based at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, at the University of East Anglia. She works with Prof Neil Ward to investigate the research gaps holding the agri-food system back from a net zero transition, and creates engaging content to help spread new and innovative knowledge on the subject.
Lisa Morgans, Royal Agricultural University
Dr Lisa Morgans is a senior lecturer in Animal Health and Welfare at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU). She was also a core part of the ‘Cultured Meat & Farmers’ project team, and led the farmer focus groups and partner farm process to explore what the technology could mean for UK farmers. Lisa is a qualified veterinarian who specialised in farm animal work. Her PhD explored a participatory, farmer-led approach to help dairy farmers reduce their reliance on antimicrobials. Before joining RAU, Lisa worked for Innovation for Agriculture (IfA) – an independent knowledge exchange charity that aims to bridge the gap between science and practice.
Lydia Collas, Green Alliance
Lydia is Head of Natural Environment at Green Alliance, where she leads the organisation’s work on food and farming policy, exploring how best to adapt land use and management to meet food, climate and nature goals. She is interested in tackling the drivers of environmental degradation and nature loss, including routes to changing consumption preferences.
Lydia joined Green Alliance as a policy analyst in April 2022. Prior to joining, she completed a PhD in Conservation Science at the University of Cambridge, analysing the cost effectiveness of contrasting agricultural policy approaches to delivering ambitious biodiversity and climate mitigation outcomes.
Stuart Roberts, beef farmer
Stuart is a beef and arable farmer in Hertfordshire and formerly NFU vice and deputy president. Before that, he had a long career at senior level in the meat processing sector, and also worked for Defra and the Food Standards Agency. He has been at the forefront of rewriting the Lib Dem agricultural policy.
Phil Swire
Phil Swire farms organically in north east Scotland. He has a real interest in farming with natural systems. Livestock on the farm include red deer and easycare sheep and cropping includes gluten free oats and combinable peas, some of which we are getting processed and supplying into local schools.
How do we get voters to care about food systems transformation?
Elta Smith
Elta Smith is an independent researcher, writer and consultant. She is an experienced leader in making better policies for our food systems. Her research focuses on the intersection of food, the environment and human health.
Ali Morpeth
Ali is a Registered Public Health Nutritionist (RNutr) working at the intersection of health and sustainability. For the last 15 years, she has worked on advocacy and policy to deliver changes that are a win-win for people and planet. Ali is passionate about the opportunities that arise from drawing the dots between health and sustainability.
Emily Norton
Emily has 25 years’ experience in the food and farming sector. Her career has taken her from family business to global PLC, with time spent in Brussels and across the UK. Emily is the founder of Farm Foresight Ltd, a strategic advisory service for the land management sector, working with farmers, investors, politicians and businesses on rural policy and emerging trends.
Ifeyinwa Kanu
Ifeyinwa has a love of nature and is passionate about engineering solutions to address global challenges such as food system sustainability. She is the Founder and CEO of IntelliDigest Ltd, leading it on a mission to empower food system sustainability through technology innovation and capacity building, thereby delivering access to good food for more people; improving health and restoring the environment.
Zainab Oyetunde-Usman
Zainab is a Research Social Scientist at Rothamsted Research Net Zero and Resilient Farming Department. She is a trained agricultural economist with experience in applying behavioural approaches to designing and fostering mechanisms to incentivise adoption of net zero innovations.
Is bigger better: farm finances, profitability & sustainability
Chair: Charlotte Wheeler
Charlotte is an Agriculture and Environment Policy Consultant at ICF. She was an AFN Year 2 Champion for Circular Food Systems and previously worked as a Research Officer for Pasture for Life.
Nikki Yoxall
Nikki is Technical Director at Pasture for Life, and a first-generation farmer based in NE Scotland, where she and her husband James run Grampian Graziers Ltd, managing livestock operations across 2500ha in a range of partnerships and collaborations with three different landowners. Nikki is currently undertaking a PhD in Agroecological Transitions and has interests in Holistic Management, agroforestry, and connecting folk with their food.
Clyde Jones
Clyde is an independent Regenerative Agricultural consultant, helping farmers boost biodiversity, sustainability, soil health, and profits. While converting a traditional herd to grass-based, low-input methods, he recognised agricultural challenges and embraced a “Farm from the Soil up” approach. This led to significant soil health improvements, especially on a 500-cow dairy farm where herbal leys enhanced forage production during dry summers and doubling organic matter over 6 years.
Mike Roberts
Mike is a third-generation farmer of a 435-acre mixed farm in Cornwall. He is part of Farm Net Zero and has reduced stocking densities on the farm.They have been trialling different species in their herbal leys, questioning whether they can concurrently improve soils, pastures, herd health, meat quality and the nutritional value of the beef.
De-risking transition: collective insurance and green financing
Chair: Emily Norton
Zainab Oyetunde-Usman
Carolien Samsung
Carolien Samson is the Head of Sustainable Banking at Oxbury Bank which encompasses all elements of sustainability both internal and external for the Bank. Carolien has extensive experience in agricultural finance spending more than two decades in both commercial banking and development finance institutions in South Africa in roles ranging from policy and product development to commodity trading. At Oxbury, she was responsible for the the consolidated 2023 Natural Capital report which was the first combined TCFD and TNFD disclosure to be published by a UK head-quartered bank and was instrumental in the launch of the Oxbury Transition Facility in 2025 to provide working capital for farmers changing practices to improve resilience.
Salary sacrifice – a tool to support sustainable farming?
Chair: Ifeyinwa Kanu
Ali Morpeth
Andrew Loftus
Andrew Loftus is a livestock farmer from Ripon, North Yorkshire and Chair of the Beef & Lamb Environment Roadmap, a cross-sector group of farming and supply-chain organisations supported by the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board. He farms 330 acres of mostly permanent pasture, is well versed in sustainable agriculture and party to a number of research projects focused on reduced emissions.
