Using a demonstration farm to promote regenerative agriculture

TEAM presenter showing farmers the regenerative fields

Farmers are highly practical people, they need to overcome practical challenges created by weather, pests, diseases, drought and floods every day, so they prefer to see real solutions. PowerPoint slides are just 'blah, blah, blah' on a screen and professors in their smart jackets with clean boots are viewed with scepticism.

So how can you convince a battle-hardened farmer to change the way he or she manages the farm to work in a way that's better for soil health?

We found one way that works well. Run your own farm and have conventional fields next to regeneratively farmed fields with the same cash crops. Measure inputs, such as fertilizers, herbicides, water, labour costs, yields and take regular soil samples. Then demonstrate the cost savings and yields using tables and images on printed vinyls, let the farmers walk the fields and ask questions, followed by a good lunch to complete the discussions.

Presentation to groups of farmers

At first the farmers will be sceptical. They are struggling with debt, have limited machinery and have demanding customers. But when they are hearing from real farmers about the potential benefits, and can see and touch the rotational and intercrops, feel the soil, observe demonstrations of erosion and drought resistance, view the soil sample and yield results, they begin to understand and start their regenerative farming journey.