Soil Regeneration Across Global Communities – Live Panel Discussion
Our expert panel will explore how living soils are vital for thriving human communities. Using the econutrition framework, the panel will link regenerative food production strategies with global patterns of rural development and community resilience.
Healthy soil is the foundation of most food production around the world. When agricultural practices harm soil ecosystems, local natural resources also face rapid degradation. Human nutritional status is linked with biological capital; so, loss of soil stability results in cascading challenges for local communities.
Regenerative agricultural practices shift the dynamics of this vicious cycle. By rebuilding soil biology, food production improves, reducing pressure on natural systems. This improves nutritional outcomes and sets a stage for virtuous cycles of community prosperity.
Speakers
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Colin AndrewsChair of TiyeniColin was brought up in many countries and had lived in 18 different homes before he left home. Starting his career in surveying in Iceland, he trained in Estate Management and became a Chartered Surveyor and later a member of the Australian Institute of Valuers. In Australia he worked on a number of farms and on return to the UK became a partner in an established firm of Chartered Surveyors which specialized in Estate and Farm management.
His interests focus on biodiversity with particular interests in insects, wildflowers, and trees and their effect on farming. He is married with 4 sons and lives on a smallholding on the edge of the ancient and biodiverse New Forest in Hampshire UK. He joined Tiyeni in 2013 and became Chair of the Board in 2017.
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Dr. Adam B. CobbSoil Food Web School, Content Development & Science EditorAdam’s passion for agriculture emerged in 2008, during his three months of volunteer work on organic farms in New Zealand. His time in graduate school cultivated a broad vision for the restoration of living soils, as well as utilization of research and community engagement to address current and emerging global food production challenges. After completing his doctorate at Oklahoma State University in 2016, he was funded as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Instructor. During the past 5 years, Adam authored or coauthored 20 research publications focused on agroecology and plant-microbial symbioses. He also taught multiple undergraduate and graduate courses on global food security, restoration ecology, and environmental science. He joined The Soil Food Web School in 2021, following his dream to help regenerate soils, improve human nutrition, and protect our planet.
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Dr. Usman Ali LawanFounder of Farmer In Suit & USAIFA International LimitedUsman Ali Lawan is an expert in entrepreneurship and agribusiness development. He founded USAIFA International Limited in 2013, a sustainable farming venture that practices and promotes zero waste agriculture. Lawan also founded Farmer-In-Suit, an online Agric investment platform which crowdsources funding and uses it to provide farm input credit, extension services and links to markets for smallholder farmers in a profit-sharing arrangement. He has more than 13 years experience working on zero-waste agriculture, while providing training and mentorship to a network of 7,250 smallholder farmers across 4 states in Nigeria – most of them women and youths. Lawan holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration: Agribusiness Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and a Masters in Energy Studies and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He is a Senior Fellow of the Aspen New Voices Fellowship and a recipient of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Lawan is also a Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur.
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Minni JainEducator, Operations Director of The Flow PartnershipFor over 25 years Minni Jain has been working with communities to regenerate their landscapes and lives. As Operations Director of The Flow Partnership, she works on community-led management of floods and droughts using simple, low-cost, traditional methods. She also coordinates Waterways.world, a practical water school of landscape regeneration skills and methods to achieve replenishment of the world’s water bank. Jain has also helped set up the One Pond Fund to enable communities worldwide to resource their water projects.
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Nono SekhotoCommercial Farmer, Youth-in-Agriculture AdvocateNono Sekhoto is a commercial farmer, an entrepreneur, and an award-winning youth-in-agriculture advocate working in South Africa and the region. Nono’s work in agriculture leverages her 8 years background in financial services, 10-year commercial mixed farming experience, and a global network of agricultural stakeholders built over the years. As a former member of the National Executive Council for African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) she established AFASA Youth engaging and supporting youth farmers in South Africa. She is a member of the Women Committees at the World Farmers Organization (WFO) and sits on the board of the Agricultural Development Agency in South Africa. She founded GrowthShoot managing a 2,000 ha farm focusing on cattle production. She also co-founded AdvanceAg consulting to corporates to connect South African young farmers to opportunities. She was appointed by the South African Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to serve as a Trustee of the Meat Industry Trust and Red Meat Research Development Trust. Nono leads the AL for Agribusiness network at the African Leadership Academy, supporting and connecting youth in agriculture to advance their careers and ventures across Africa, in partnership with industry stakeholders. Nono is an alum of Oklahoma State University Entrepreneurs Fellow, the Goldman Sachs Entrepreneurship 10,000 Women programme, African Management Institute, University of Pretoria, University of Free State and Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.