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Regenerative agriculture is gaining momentum in South Africa, but making the transition commercially scalable requires changing farming practices and collaborating across the agricultural value chain to manage risk, share knowledge, measure progress, and build resilience. Nampo Cape this year hosted numerous panel discussions and information sessions, including a session hosted by Nedbank on this intricate subject.
The panel theme “Financing the transition – making regenerative agriculture commercially scalable”, explored what is needed to make the transition to regenerative agriculture both practical and commercially viable. It highlighted that producers should not be expected to carry the financial and operational risks of the transition alone; collaboration is needed with financial institutions, input suppliers, retailers, government, and other industry organisations.
Opening the discussion, Oscar Siziba, managing executive of Nedbank Business and Commercial Banking, highlighted agriculture’s vital role in food security, rural livelihoods, job creation and export competitiveness. He emphasised that South Africa’s agricultural future depends not only on what is produced, but increasingly on how it is produced.
The conversation around regenerative agriculture can be confusing, with producers and other stakeholders facing a growing amount of information and various suggested approaches. “Nedbank’s role extends beyond providing financial support, with the bank seeking to create platforms for meaningful conversations and partnerships that can benefit the broader agricultural sector.”
The conversation also reiterated that regenerative agriculture is not simply about production, but also about building resilient farming businesses while improving soil health, biodiversity and the natural systems on which agriculture depends. It is therefore both an environmental and a commercial transition which is imperative for the future of South African agriculture.
Support with the transition
Kudzayi Mazikana, head of sustainability strategy at Nedbank, said more producers are looking to financial institutions not only for funding, but also for guidance and connections to the wider ecosystem. “Nedbank recognises that regenerative agriculture is an ecosystem challenge and that different stakeholders need to work together to support producers through the transition.”
For Lomé Smit, sustainable agriculture researcher at Trace & Save, the transition begins with a mindset shift. “Regenerative agriculture is not a checklist of practices that can simply be applied to every farm. Each farming operation has a different context, starting point, and set of constraints. Producers therefore need to identify what is limiting their particular system and make gradual, informed changes.”
She emphasised the importance of resilience, saying success should be measured not only by improved yields in a good season, but by whether a farming system can maintain production and remain financially viable when conditions are difficult.
Gabrielle Redelinghuys, group manager of sustainability at WinField United SA, believes local agronomic knowledge, technology, climate data, and research all play an important role in managing transition risks. Agriculture is not suffering from a lack of information or data; it often needs better integration and interpretation of what is already available.
“Producers need support in understanding what data means in their specific environment and how different factors interact.” She also stressed the value of learning from both successes and mistakes. “Building confidence in new approaches takes time, and producers are more likely to make changes when they have access to trusted partners, practical experience and evidence that a particular approach can work in their local conditions.”
The role of retailers
Tom Murray, technical manager of fruit and horticulture at Woolworths, highlighted retailers’ role in the process. “Rather than simply imposing new requirements on producers, the industry needs to work with growers and support them on the journey. By making knowledge and lessons learned more widely available, retailers and other stakeholders can help producers understand what is possible and encourage broader adoption of sustainable and regenerative practices.”
Franz Rentel, founder of AgriCarbon, highlighted measurement as the foundation of carbon markets and credible sustainability claims. “Producers are under a rising obligation to provide information to retailers, service providers, financiers, and carbon market participants. If these systems remain disconnected, they (producers) face an unnecessary administrative burden.”
He called for greater alignment so producers can measure and record information once, with the relevant data serving multiple purposes across the value chain.
Preparing for changing conditions
Daneel Rossouw, head of sales for agriculture at Nedbank Commercial Banking, emphasised the importance of taking the best practices and insights emerging from these discussions and implementing them across the value chain. This becomes particularly relevant against the backdrop of increasing climate variability and the prediction of a potential Super El Niño, which could create further challenges for producers. “Building resilience and preparing farming businesses for changing conditions are therefore increasingly important.” – Carin Venter, Plaas Media
