Peter Byck and the Soil Carbon Cowboys

Great day, talking and walking around Barnes, with Peter Byck. If you haven’t seen his short film Soil Carbon Cowboys, it’s highly recommended. I love the way he engages right-wing people in their own terms, but on our issues. Earlier this week, Volans partnered with Soil Capital, A Very Good Company, Savory Institute and Net Impact London, as part of our Breakthrough Capitalism program, to bring to London a unique event exploring how business leaders and farmers can lead a paradigm shift towards more sustainable agriculture. Peter was one of the speakers.

Peter Byck at the Barnes Wetland Centre, seeming to have a crush on otters

The inadequacy of current agroindustrial systems to address food security issues has become increasingly clear. Regenerative agriculture has emerged in this context to regroup a number of farming practices that increase the natural fertility of the land instead of depleting it. This type of agriculture relies more on the knowledge and experience of land managers than conventional agriculture, which depends more on petrochemical inputs. A number of individuals stand out as experts in their own fields, with solid track records in realising value for their farm and communities through regenerative agriculture.

I chaired a panel session including the following speakers:

• Daniela Howell, Savory Institute (USA)
• Dr Dwayne Beck, Dakota Lakes Research Farm (USA)
• Stephen Briggs, Abacus Organic (UK)
• Dr Ademir Calegari, Paraná Agronomic Institute (Brazil)
• Perrine Hervé-Gruyer, Bec-Hellouin Permacultural farm (France)

The evening, hosted by Deloitte, was great fun, and I met a host of people from very different necks of the woods. This is a subject I haven’t been involved in for around three decades, but it’s one I see as critically important, and would love to do more on.