Conventional agriculture: the efficiency myth
Who are the hosts?
Sanne Bootsma, DOEN Ventures
Erica van Eeghen, VP Capital
What is this Ripple about?
This Ripple explores whether regenerative agriculture can become the economically superior model and what it will take to realign finance, policy, technology, and incentives around long-term resilience.
Why this topic timely or urgent in 2026
Modern agriculture has optimised for short-term efficiency, but often at the expense of the natural systems it depends on. Heavy reliance on fossil-based inputs, degraded soils and inefficient land use are creating growing environmental and economic risks. Rather than treating nature as an input to exploit, how do we redesign agriculture so that nature becomes the foundation of a productive and resilient food system
Key questions or challenges being explored
Should the healthcare and insurance industries also contribute to the financing of a more healthy and resilient food system?
How can technology help agriculture work with nature instead of against it?
The long-term benefits of regenerative agriculture are widely recognised, yet the upfront costs fall largely on farmers. How do we align incentives so that those who benefit also contribute?
Regenerative agriculture runs on 7–10 year soil-rebuilding cycles. Most capital runs on 3–5 year fund cycles. Which one should bend: the farming model, or the fund structure?
The key tension or debate at the heart of this discussion
Short-term economic efficiency of the agricultural system vs. long-term ecosystem resilience
Who would get the most value from attending this Ripple?
Climate and food-tech investors, regenerative agriculture and agtech founders, sustainability and procurement leads from food corporates, farmers and agricultural advisors, policymakers, and representatives from healthcare, insurance- and financial institutions