ProVeg International’s Post

Are you passionate about fostering community and networking? Why not organise a local get-together for your fellow APEN members? Here are some fun and engaging ideas to get you started: 🍻 Dinner at the local pub: Enjoy a counter meal and discuss what interests everyone. Add a speaker or a demonstration to make the evening even more engaging. 🌿 Farm tour and picnic: Organise a visit to a local farm followed by a picnic. This is a great way to learn about innovative practices while enjoying the outdoors. 🏞️ Workshop at a community centre: Host a hands-on workshop on a relevant topic, such as sustainable agriculture or digital marketing for farmers. 📚 Book club meeting: Select a book related to extension work or agriculture and gather for a lively discussion over coffee. In 2014, we introduced the APEN Support for Regional Events Program, providing grant money and seed funding to help initiate and run local events. For more information and to apply, check out the link below or contact us at info@apen.org.au. Got an idea for a local event? Share it in the comments! Let’s collaborate and create memorable experiences together. 👉 For more information: https://lnkd.in/gXdrQqXD #APEN #RegionalEvents #CommunityEngagement #Networking #ExtensionProfessionals

Nonprofit founders such as Ryan Slabaugh of Think Regeneration benefit from having an annual report because of its ability to: 1) Cast a vision for the importance of the mission and the faces behind it 2) Clearly and compellingly illustrate ongoing impact and opportunities 3) Celebrate and highlight their incredible partners and stories The problem? Putting together an annual report framework takes valuable time. Then, it's important to do the research and coalescing of ideas. So to get rapid clarity and pull together a report reflective of Think Regeneration's breadth and depth in advancing regenerative agriculture and strengthening regional food systems, Ryan partnered with me on my annual development engagement. How did it go? Read my case study featuring Ryan's story. It's attached to this post. Sincere thanks to Ryan, Denise Bahil, & all their amazing partners for the opportunity to share this story. Keep an eye on Think Regeneration. They're going places - and leaving America's farmers and communities stronger and more resilient than ever before. #socialimpact #communication #regenerativeagriculture

At the European Action Gathering for Sustainable Food Systems in Marburg, Germany, I shared insights on the transformative power of intergenerational cooperation. "Many young people don’t want to wait for change – they want to be part of the solution," I emphasized. This approach aligns with Forum Synergies's focus on fostering innovative partnerships across generations. Intergenerational collaboration enriches our community development efforts, blending seasoned perspectives with youthful vigor. It's about leveraging diverse talents and experiences to create enduring positive change. Read more about our reflections and the importance of intergenerational bonds in shaping a sustainable future for agriculture and rural communities. #Sustainability #FoodSystems #IntergenerationalCooperation #RuralDevelopment https://lnkd.in/e8cqjG2e

Congrats and thanks to Climate Farmers across the pond for implementing a type of #stewardownership in their legal structure! Thanks Ivo Degn and Philippe Birker for sharing the journey of finding legal structures and financial support that can advance these principles in practice. Steward-ownership is a great model that I hope gets more attention in the North American regenerative agriculture movement. Why? Because the default model of profit-maximization, as fast as possible and often at the expense of all else, is fundamentally at odds with the social, economic, and environmental regeneration the movement is trying to advance. So it remains a huge question- how do we thread this needle between creating successful, profitable companies in the very difficult sector of food and agriculture without, over time, regressing to the mean of extractive, degenerative business? Steward-ownership provides one path. Like all paths it is imperfect, but it is one I have been intensely interested in for several years now. Thanks again Climate Farmers for sharing your journey!!

There are more than 167,000 registered charities in the U.K. alone and our focus on funding experts in biodiversity expands across the world 🌎 We believe that funding is a 2-way process. It is as much our responsibility to seek out excellent organisations as it is the responsibility of NGOs to find funders. So, how can we ensure that we find out about and connect with all of the organisations doing work in this space? 1. As we get more involved in the sector, we meet and hear about organisations through newsletters and events 🤝 2. We are members of the Environmental Funders Network, who are doing fantastic work in connecting the dots within the sector 🌳 3. We conduct our own desk-based research, listen to podcasts, and read articles 📑 4. In our recent website relaunch, we included a 'Tell Us About You' form. It simply asks for contact details and a link to further information so that we can then carry out our own due diligence 💻 One of the funders in our network heard about the form and told us, 'I am fully intending on stealing that!'. Since launching our new strategy in August, we have discovered 30+ biodiversity-focused organisations that we had never come across before! And, half of those came through our 'Tell Us About You' form. If you know of any brilliant organisations working on the biodiversity crisis, direct them here ➡ https://lnkd.in/eT_CD-ic And, please use the comment section below to share any other ideas on how we can best discover organisations! ⬇ #partnership #funding #fundingbiodiversity #fundingnature #collaboration #grantmaking #philanthropy Becky Holmes Lauren Gupta

Even as we have spent our entire careers in this space, we quickly forget that many well-intentioned movements ultimately fail because they can’t be separated from the fury of their founders or the harms done by their high-profile advocates. This morning, I read an article on the “immense reputational damage” that Sam Bankman-Fried has done to Effective Altruism. Now that his trial is over, another publication has said, “let’s also put his ruinous philosophy on trial.” There are a number of so-called “movements” playing out in our sector right now: Trust-Based Philanthropy, Community-Centric Fundraising, and, of course, EA. Much has been said of these endeavors, yet much has also been left unsaid. What I find most telling about the effectiveness of these and similar movements is that they’re not finding ways to be a part of the vocabulary of the donor on Main Street whose giving consists primarily of their parish, their daughter’s alma mater, and the local food bank. When I see my colleagues advocating for these movements, I’m always reminded of Wendell Berry’s "Distrust in Movements." Barry insists that movements, ultimately, are insincere; “they propose that the trouble is caused by other people.” We’ve certainly found this to be true of our contemporary movement builders. Rarely do we see true introspection, just constant reminders of the harm someone else is doing. Barry explains, “People in movements too readily learn to deny to others the rights and privileges they demand for themselves. They too easily become unable to mean their own language… They almost always fail to be radical enough... they virtually predict their own failure by implying that we can remedy or control effects while leaving causes in place.” #trustbasedphilanthropy #effectivealtruism

On March 16th, 2022, I had my second conversation with Thomas Hann, who I believe is really onto something regarding the legal format for bioregionally focussed regeneration enterprises. Rather than creating another association or foundation and being immediately positioned in the fund-receiving, philanthropy or grant dependent mode of attempting to drive change, Thomas is committed to making cooperatives the vehicle of transformation that enables people in place to care for each other and the place that nurtures them through their daily economic activities. Here is the start of an article Thomas wrote recently on the 'regenerative cooperative': "The regenerative cooperative – this is not a buzzword or another attempt to explain old structures into something new with a few additions. In this context, “regenerative” is meant in the literal sense: reconstructive, revitalizing. This distinguishes them from traditional-style cooperatives. The regenerative cooperative (reGen) is a business model with a focus on the sustainable development of their respective region. It not only preserves, but regenerates the nature of its surroundings and the quality of its community and understands the individual development and health of its members as additional relevant balance sheet values. ..." https://lnkd.in/emsCUmzS #bioregionalregeneration #bioregions #regeneration #regenerativedesign #regenerativedevelopment #cooperatives #regenerativeeconomics

In our final panel of the day Jan Meiling StartLife, Ola Thomsson, RESPECTfarms, Frederik Vilhelm Greibe, Danish Crown Alice Lefort BayWa AG discusses how we will finance the green transition, and how governments are taking action in Denmark. Sweden and France. #AnimalAgTech

Our aim for the film has always been to tell a human story. We want you, the audience, to connect with our three brave farmers to understand why they want to farm with nature rather than against it and to highlight the highs and lows of doing so. We want to provide a safe space to open the lines of communication with no judgement so people who are on the regenerative path and those who aren’t can sit together and have an open and honest conversation. We hope the film will encourage farmers and growers to collaborate and discuss what has and hasn’t worked and why, and to explore solutions around failures. We’ve always strived to do this in the most positive way because we feel (and research shows) when people are faced with stories of fear they are less likely to take action than when they are faced with stories of hope. As wonderful community activist and solutionary Deirdre (Dee) Woods says in this clip, it’s about regenerating people, regenerating relationships and regenerating values. How did you feel after watching the film? We’d love to hear from you. Please use the #sixinchesofsoil hashtag 💚 Claire Mackenzie Colin Ramsay Kate Ford Mel Bradley MBE Lucy Michaels Olivia Shave Daria Hupov Priya Kalia Matthew Aspray Fergus Graham #regeneration #regenerativefarming #solutions #humanstories #storiesofhope #naturefriendly #community #hope #collaboration #climateaction

🏦 “Every investor knows the future of energy is green and clean, but when it comes to food, it is more vague and complex. Investors—public, private & philanthropic—need to understand system risks and start investing in system opportunities,” stresses Gunhild Anker Stordalen on the importance of shifting capital flow at the session Philanthropy at the Forefront of Global Change during Milken Institute’s 10th Asia Summit.   📹 Tune in to hear as Gunhild explains EAT’s mission, why investors have a crucial role in addressing system risks and deadlock, how cities are the centers of demand generation, and what we should be hopeful for in bringing forward food systems transformation: https://lnkd.in/dn59ZpPF #FoodSystemsTransformation #GoodFoodFinance #GreenInvestment