Fixing our Food System
Regen Ag Summit
Inspiring | Connecting | Empowering
Creating a space for global practitioners of food systems change to learn how to support their projects across all levels of food production––from stewardship, to production, to market creation and everything in between.
Through this space we seek to build bioregional and global community and knowledge around financial independence & markets, crop & soil management, education, communications and organization management.
Oct 20 - Oct 21 - Oct 22, 2023
October 20th*
Events
15:00 - 16:15 UTC
Speakers: Bemeriki Bisimwa, Joshua Hughes
Facilitator: Benjamin Felser
Listen to Bemeriki and Joshua talk about our projects in small scale grassroots permaculture in refugee communities in Uganda and longterm agroforestry management in Costa Rica.
Learn about: local and international markets, longterm stewardship, permaculture education, humanitarian support, community engagement and more
16:30 - 18:00 UTC
Facilitator: Lauren Minis
Join Regeneration Pollination in a session to meet other people working in food systems change, funders and appreciators in a structured networking session.
Learn about: communication, bioregional collaboration, global networking, aligned projects/people and more
* click on event names to see in Google Calendar. All events can be accessed through this zoom link
People
Keynote Speaker
Bemeriki Bisimwa Dusabe
Rwamwanja, Uganda
Program Director at the Rwamwanja Rural Foundation
2023 Lush Prize recipient Bemeriki Bisimwa is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo living in Uganda as a refugee since 2007. He focuses on regeneration through permaculture training within refugee communities as the founder and CEO of the Rwamwanja Rural Foundation ltd.
Keynote Speaker
Joshua Hughes
Puriscal, Costa Rica
Founder of Verdenergia Pacifica and Blacksheep Regenerative Resource Management ​
Joshua Hughes is a visionary in stewardship, regenerative markets and community-driven impact projects.Through Verdenergia and Blacksheep, he and his community planted millions of plants, protected hundreds of acres of land from palm oil, and seeded economies to reverse brain drain since 2004..
Networking Host
Lauren Minis
Idaho, USA
Executive Director of Regeneration Pollination
Lauren Minis oversees operations, growth, and partnerships for Regeneration Pollination—a global nonprofit uniting leaders in the environmental and social impact sector. She connects through other aligned networks, helping stitch together the vast world of regenerative practitioners.
Projects
Global
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​"Regeneration Pollination is part of a movement of environmental change agents connected online in a growing global network, regenerating land, regenerating the economy, and regenerating our lives. Here, you can learn about the work of fellow change agents—from farmers to environmentalists to homesteaders to permaculturists to policymakers to funders and more. You can also learn about ways you can make a difference in your life and in your community. Join us at this month’s events!"
Rwamwanja, Uganda
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“Rwamwanja Rural Foundation is a Ugandan based, refugee-led grassroots organization. It works specifically with communities in refugee camps and other marginalized communities affected by climate change in East Africa. The Foundation was established to empower refugee youth to fulfill their potential and enable them to transform their lives."
Puriscal Costa Rica
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VerdEnergia was founded in 2006 by a small group of initial investors with the intention of building a cooperative farm to secure a healthy future for their families. Since then, we have been working to repair cattle land into a food forest in one of the most deforested areas of Costa Rica. VerdEnergia has received a number of grants and has since planted over 150,000 trees in our local area. “With the principles of Permaculture as our guiding tool, we seek to transmute the challenges facing our communities into replicable solutions. Our work enables us to find right livelihood through the regeneration and gentle cultivation of the forest we are honored to call home.” Products from Verdenergia are sold through ReWild Organics.
October 21st*
Events
15:00 - 16:30 UTC
Panelists: Joshua Hughes, Ñawi Flores, Robert Ocen, Jenny Brandt, Fabricio Muriano
Facilitator: Benjamin Felser
Listen to: 5 experts in land stewardship, communication, education, market creation and grassroots finance. Session will begin with 45 minutes of Q&A followed by more intimate sessions by speakers areas of expertise: communication, stewardship and financing
Learn about: Land stewardship vs management, local/international market creation, ethical grassroots fundraising, bioregional coalition building, permaculture education and more!
17:00 - 18:00 UTC
Advisors: Erik VanLennep, Daniel Mattos
Practice: The famous, ever-important 5 minute elevator pitch to a professional in regenerative agriculture and your peers. Each project will receive a slot to share a prepared presentation, along with specific feedback and opportunities to practice with peers in community
Learn about: communication, marketing, organizational design, public speaking, slide deck creation
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Note: This session is ONLY OPEN TO PITCH PARTICIPANTS and not the general public.
* click on event names to see in Google Calendar. All events can be accessed through this zoom link
People
Panelist
Jennifer Brandt
Merida, Mexico
Community Centric Fundraising Global Councilmember
Jenny Brandt is a bilingual (English-Spanish) professional committed to racial equity and climate justice. She has experience working in DC on Congressional and Federal campaigns uplifting Latino voices for the conservation of public lands, as well as working in pueblos mágicos in Mexico for conservation of natural patrimony through ecotourism and PES.
Advisor
Daniel Mattos
Lisbon, Portugal
Founder and director of Ecotopias School for Sustainability
Daniel is an educator, agroecologist, philosopher and artist, spending the lifetime trying to deeply live the paradoxes of values, beliefs, methods and tricks of our culturesights. In short, his work is to wormhole mindset bubbles. He is from Brazil, in 2019 moved to Portugal exiled from Brazilian fascism.
Advisor
Erik van Lennep
Orba, Spain
Freelance communicator and advisor
Erik is a social innovator and entrepreneur, focused through eco design. For 35 years his focus has been on ecological regeneration and human rights. His work includes starting high impact not-for profits, creating educational events and training individuals and groups on team building, communication and story telling, project development and strategy design
Panelist
Ñawi K. Flores
Brooklyn, New York
President and Co-Founder of K'allam'p
Ñawi K. Flores, of the Antis and Iñan Kichwa Nation, Chichubamba Clan is the leader of K'allam'p. He bridges indigenous philosophy with modern scientific systems, emphasizing the role of soil management, social ecology, resilience, equity, and inclusivity in diverse agricultural landscapes.
Panelist
Fabricio Muriana
São Paulo, Brasil
Founder of Asociado do Instituto Regenerativo
Fabricio Muriano is a professional in urban legislative and cultural change to create markets for agroecological products. He works in Sao Paolo, Belem in the Amazon and globally to promote our food revolution.
Panelist
Joshua Hughes
Puriscal, Costa Rica
Founder of Asociado do Instituto Regenerativo
Joshua Hughes is a visionary in stewardship, regenerative markets and community-driven impact projects. Through Verdenergia and Blacksheep, he and his community planted millions of plants, protected hundreds of acres of land from palm oil, and seeded economies to reverse brain drain since 2004..
Panelist
Robert Ocen
Anaka, Uganda
Co-Founder of the Regenshope Initiative
Robert Ocen is an Environmental Specialist, Regenerative Practitioner, and Trainer with 8 years of experience in designing and implementing nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and development. He co-founded the Regenshope Initiative to empower smallholder farmers through hands-on training in regenerative agriculture for a sustainable, equitable food system.
Projects
"We are a civil society organization with the purpose of contributing to the strengthening and emergence of regenerative food systems." They are currently working on projects in Belém to streamline markets for traditionally managed products from neighboring quilombolas through social technology models and mapping. They are also working in São Paulo alongside Ligue os Pontos (Connect the Dots) “to promote the sustainable development of the rural territory and improve its relations with the urban environment.”
Associado do Instituto Regenera
São Paolo, Brasil
“Community-Centric Fundraising is a movement to evolve how fundraising is done in the nonprofit sector. Its goal is to support fundraisers and other nonprofit professionals to re-examine every fundraising philosophy and practice they have been taught, engage in vigorous ongoing conversations, and explore doing fundraising in ways that reduce harm and further social justice.”
“For thousands of years, the Kichwa people of the Andes have used "k'allam'p" to describe their relationship between the land and their societal knowledge. This symbiotic relationship represents our philosophy. We are a nonprofit organization leveraging our diversity of knowledge and experience to advance regenerative agriculture, social ecology, and holistic resource management through community partnerships, research, and consultancy.”
Cotocachi, Ecuador
The Regenshope Initiative organization supports smallholder farmers, predominantly women and youth, by providing them with the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to improve their livelihoods through regenerative agriculture practices, including the use of technology in tree planting and monitoring. They also engage in tree nursery initiatives and school food programs while facilitating farmers market linkages. Their efforts address the challenges of climate change and aim to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable world, promoting environmental sustainability and food security.
Nwoya, Uganda
VerdEnergia was founded in 2006 by a small group of initial investors with the intention of building a cooperative farm to secure a healthy future for their families. Since then, we have been working to repair cattle land into a food forest in one of the most deforested areas of Costa Rica. VerdEnergia has received a number of grants and has since planted over 150,000 trees in our local area. “With the principles of Permaculture as our guiding tool, we seek to transmute the challenges facing our communities into replicable solutions. Our work enables us to find right livelihood through the regeneration and gentle cultivation of the forest we are honored to call home.” Products from Verdenergia are sold through ReWild Organics.
Puriscal, Costa Rica
October 22nd*
Events
15:00 - 16:30 UTC
Facilitators: Jyo Maan and Benjamin Felser
Participate in: a food systems change practitioner session to share joys, trials and questions about your experiences in changing our food system. There's a lot of pressure to put up a face. Let that go among peers working to fix our food system around the world alongside experiences facilitators. There will be a follow up session in one month!
Learn about others working in similar fields in your bioregion and around the world, ask difficult questions, share challenging truths and build connections with others expereincing similar struggles and joys
* click on event names to see in Google Calendar. All events can be accessed through this zoom link
People
Facilitator
Jyo Maan
Des Moines, Iowa
GRC Activation Team
Jyo Maan fosters social learning, connections, and leadership through trauma-informed facilitation, innovation, and emotional intelligence. She relies on emotional, social and spiritual intelligence she weaves the hearts and minds of people and redesigns structures in freedom for exploration. She bridges old and new paradigms, nurturing belonging and inspiring future generations.
Facilitator/Event Coordinator
Benjamin Felser
Tucson, Arizona
GRC Activation Team​
Benjamin is a queer environmentalist currently working in invasive plant management and restoration ecology at Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona. They spent the last year living in Nepal and coastal Ecuador working on permaculture and syntropic agroforestry systems and are also a member of the GRC Activation Team.
Participants
All of you!
Global
Amazing projects in food systems change
All of you bring unique stories, experiences and perspectives to the table. You may work in food production, creating regenerative markets, organizational management or education, but you all are actively participating in fixing our broken world food system. We welcome you all!
Nourishing
We embrace an ideology of reciprocity. We are paying speakers 20 USD/hr* for their time, and ask that participants either donate funds, or invite peers to support the summit.
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Donate -- For those with the means, donate what you can. All funds will be divided evenly between our speakers' projects listed above
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Invite -- Personally invite 5+ members of your community who you believe would enjoy the summit
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* this number is based on available Activation Team funds. Check out our Open Collective to learn more and reach out at info@grc.earth with any questions, comments or concerns.