Jonathan Lundgren
Dr. Lundgren is an agroecologist, Executive Director of Ecdysis Foundation, and CEO for Blue Dasher Farm. Lundgren’s research and education programs are helping applied science evolve in ways that foster the evolution of a regenerative food system. One of his priorities is to re-envision how science is conducted to help fuel a revolution in regenerative agriculture. He regularly interacts with the public and farmers around the world regarding ecologically intensive farming and how diversity fuels the resilience and productivity of an agroecosystem and rural communities.
Plenary Speaker
Changing the paradigm of science to foster the evolution of a regenerative food system
Success stories that show the promise of regenerative agriculture are too easily dismissed by critics, and empirical assessments of this style of farming is needed. To this end, we developed the 1000 Farms Initiative, a continental scale research project aimed at testing whether regenerative agriculture works no matter what you grow or where you grow it, and figuring out the optimal strategies for transitioning to these systems. The project is totally unique in that it is relationship intensive, farmer-driven, systems-level, and uses tested harmonized methods to cross geographic and food system boundaries that typically hamstring agriculture science. The data from 750 farms is in and shows the value of regenerative food systems in combatting climate change, reversing desertification, increasing biodiversity, and reducing pollution, all while healing the rural fabric of our society.