Transforming the way we eat, farm and care for our natural world

We are looking forward to sharing valuable insights and sparking conversations around organic and sustainable food and farming at Groundswell this week.
We've got a fantastic line-up of experts in our sessions in the Soil Association Tent:

* Wednesday 2nd July: *

* 11:00 - 11:50 Sow what? How Exchange Market shares the cost of sustainable farming *
Join Emily Norton and a panel to explore Exchange Market, a farmer-led scheme tackling carbon emission. It pays farmers for reducing emissions and improving environmental outcomes, sharing costs across the supply chain, and aligning with best practices.
Chair: Emily Norton, Non-Executive Director, Soil Association ExchangePanel: Ben Makowiecki, Lloyds Banking Group; David White, Hawks Mill Farms; and Louise Rezler, Soil Association Exchange

* 13:30 - 14:20 Unpacking the opportunity in the organic market *
Discover organic market trends and consumer insights. Hear about news supply chain opportunities with Abel & Cole, tips for integrating organic produce into arable rotations and explore the future challenges and rewards of organic with those shaping its direction.

Chair: Carolyn Coxe, Soil AssociationPanel: Anne Rees, Abel & Cole, John Taylor Pollybell Farm and Sophie Kirk, Soil Association Certification

* 15:00 - 15:50 Serving up sustainability: The public sector journey to agroecology *
How is the government aim of 50% local and higher environmental quality public food going to be delivered? What are the opportunities fpr agroecological producers and suppliers? Hear about new tech-enabled pilot opportunities from Soil Association and Equilibrium Markets.

Panel: Ruth Galpine, Soil Association; Ben Peel, Equilibrium Markets; and Amy Morgan, University of Bristol

* 16:00 - 16:50 Seeing the Whole Picture: Towards Accurate Food Eco-Metrics *
Are current food ecometrics effective? As demand for environmental measurement grows, robust dara is vital. This session explores creating consistent, accurate, accessible metrics that turly capture the impact of regenerative and agroecological practices.

Chair: Brendan Costelloe, Soil Association
Panel: Catherine Chong, CLEAR; Harriet Bell, Riverford Organic Farmers; and Fabia Bromosvsky, Sustainable Food Trust

* Thursday 3rd July: *

* 10:00 - 10:50 The future of soil science: AI powered tools for soil management *
Discover how AI revolutionises regenerative land management with digital twins and novel lab-free measurement tools. Learn how projects like AI 4 Soil Health predict soil health, enabling proactive strategies. See practical demos and discuss AI’s future in agriculture.

Chair: Josiah Judson, Soil Association
Panel: Hélène Iven, Digit Soil; Bridget Emmett, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; and Ichsani Wheeler, Open Geo Hub

* 12:00 - 12:50 Can you dig it? Practical tips to get to know your soil *
Join soil Association Exchange to explore the living world of soil with Mark Palmer, Soil Association Exchange. This session will show farmers how to improve soil health on their farms and provide tools for simple on-farm tests to better understand their soil.

* Drop-in *

There will plenty of other activity at the Soil Association including networking events with some of our Farm to Fork Ambassadors and our * ‘Story Shack’ * drop-in sessions (Wednesday 10:00 - 12:00, Thursday 14:00 - 16:00) with Dan Morrell Olivia James, offering advice on telling your story to Groundswell attendees with a burning desire to share their knowledge and ideas in-person, online, on video and podcasts.

So please do come along and find us at the Pasture Field (F13) in the Soil Association Tent!

We will have plenty of refreshments available – and our PR Team will be on hand to answer your questions and to introduce you to our experts at Soil Association, Soil Association Certification, Innovative Farmers and Soil Association Exchange.