Groundswell 2026 - conversations I can't stop thinking about

I've written about Groundswell before - the farming festival that focuses on regenerative agriculture. Honestly, it's one of my favourite events of the year and one I mark in my calendar months in advance. Farmers, food system bods, chefs, growers, agronomists - if you're involved in regenerative farming or food, you're probably here.

Soil is becoming sexy. In just 10 years the event has grown from 50 people to more than 10,000. Pretty impressive. Here are the conversations that stayed with me.

There is controversy over how the regenerative food movement grows - and whether it belongs in ultra-processed foods

This was one of the liveliest debates of the festival with Dolly van Tulleken, Fay Cooke (Yeo Valley) & Ed Horton (Savills). Should regeneratively farmed ingredients be allowed in ultra-processed foods? People were genuinely split. If large food businesses want to invest in farming and nature, shouldn't that be encouraged? Or does putting regenerative ingredients into ultra-processed products (e.g. regenerative kit-kats) undermine everything the movement stands for, as it contributes to poorer human health? It's a conversation that isn't going away anytime soon.

We make supermarket decisions in seconds - and health is becoming the deciding factor

Health is increasingly becoming the consumer 'unlock'. We're going to see far more messaging around the nutritional quality of how food is grown and reared, with the link between healthy soil and healthy people finally moving into the mainstream.

Having Chris van Tulleken deliver the keynote on the first day felt symbolic. A doctor known for talking about ultra-processed foods delivering a speech to hundreds of farmers? I loved that crossover.

Climate change isn't just an environmental issue - it's a food system issue

Professor Tim Benton from the University of Leeds spoke about how geopolitical shocks have become the new normal over the past 15 years.

The statistic I can't stop thinking about is the prediction that climate change could force around two billion people to move by 2050, with many heading towards northern Europe and North America. If that's the future we're heading towards, building resilient food systems and the infrastructure to support them becomes even more urgent.

Food trends are shaped by chefs and influencers - but what should be trending?

I had led a session with Jack Feeny & Hannah Thomas through my work with Tomorrow's Kitchen, exploring the foods we should be celebrating to support a more agroecological future.

Food trends have enormous power. The question is whether we're using that power to build demand for foods that are better for people, farmers and the planet - or simply chasing the next viral ingredient.

How do we put a value on resilience?

This was probably the thread that ran through almost every conversation over the two days. We ask farmers to produce food, restore nature, improve biodiversity, store carbon and adapt to a changing climate but our food system still rewards volume far more than resilience.

If we genuinely want a food system that's fit for the future, we have to start paying for the outcomes we say we value. Resilience isn't a nice-to-have anymore; it's becoming one of the most valuable things our farmers can produce.