In celebration of this year’s Earth Day, Atalanta’s Advisor Katy Roxburgh and Senior Account Executive Lizzie Lloyd travelled to the heart of central London to hear Sarah Langford, author of Rooted, in conversation with Andy Cato, co-founder of Wildfarmed and one half of the music duo Groove Armada. Their discussion explored the growth of the regenerative farming movement in the UK and the lessons it offers on the power of effective communication and cross-sector collaboration.
Speaking at The Roof Gardens, Cato and Langford opened with an overview of the state of food production and agrifood systems in the UK, addressing the economic pressures facing farmers and the effects of conventional practices on the nation’s countryside, which has resulted in declining soil quality and biodiversity loss. Both speakers were clear that whilst our national food system is undoubtedly ‘miraculous’ in its current form, using international imports to provide consumers with reliable sources of food all year round, it is, by the same token, fragile, and in the face of increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather, teetering on the verge of collapse.
As regenerative and organic farmers who have both come to farming as a second career, they discussed the challenges facing the community that they had come to understand firsthand: the difficulties of tracing produce through food supply chains; the limitations of measuring yields only in tonnes, not by nutritional content; and the broader political and economic constraints affecting farmers. Simultaneously facing criticism for causing environmental harm while operating within shrinking profit margins, farmers are, according to Cato, ‘hungry for purpose’ and are turning to regenerative farming as a way to ‘get nature on the spreadsheet.’
A key takeaway from the event was the role of effective communication in engaging a broad range of audiences. Both speakers stressed the importance of ‘avoiding dogma’, finding common ground, and sharing information widely to foster cultural change. Rather than shouting from soapboxes, Cato encourages those on the opposite side of the ideological fence to ‘stop, stand, and listen’—an ethos central to Wildfarmed’s approach, which hosts open days where buyers, consumers, and farmers alike can observe firsthand the impact of regenerative practices on their fields.
Partnerships were also highlighted as essential in building a resilient movement. Wildfarmed, for instance, has partnered with water companies to provide farmers with alternative income streams by rewarding environmentally sustainable practices that help reduce water pollution and treatment costs.
The flourishing of the regenerative farming movement in the UK is a testament to the power of clear, inclusive, and purpose-driven communication. By focusing on connection rather than confrontation and embracing collaboration across sectors, advocates like Cato and Langford are not only changing how we grow our food but also how we talk about sustainability. Their approach highlights that building a successful environmental movement is not only about better practices in the field. It also requires telling compelling stories, fostering mutual understanding, and creating space for dialogue.
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