Regenerative Food Systems: From Indigenous Wisdom to Climate Resilience

​Event Description

Food systems sit at the heart of some of our most pressing challenges, from climate change and biodiversity loss to malnutrition and economic inequality. Yet many current approaches remain extractive, disconnected from local knowledge, and unable to deliver lasting resilience.

This discussion explores how to reimagine food systems through regenerative agriculture, Indigenous knowledge, and community-led solutions. From agroecology and agroforestry to traditional and underutilized crops, there is growing evidence that locally rooted approaches can simultaneously improve nutrition, livelihoods, and environmental outcomes.

We will also examine the role of finance, from blended finance to investment in regenerative agriculture, and how collaboration across networks can help scale these models. With perspectives from diverse regions, including Africa and Indigenous communities globally, the session will explore how to move toward food sovereignty, equity, and long-term resilience, while challenging the legacy of extractive and colonial food systems.

​Speakers

• ​Celia Breuer is Head of Partnerships at TICAH, advancing community-led approaches to health, rights, and culture.

• ​Daniel Kajumba is Board Chair of TriTrees, advancing agroforestry solutions for food security and environmental restoration in Uganda.

• ​Mara Fleishman is CEO of the Chef Ann Foundation, advancing healthier school food through systems change.

• ​Nangamso Ka NomaHlubi Koza is a Development Strategist and Co-Founding Lead of the Atlantic Fellows Food Sovereignty Network

• ​Sarah Drummond is Director of Global Program Operations at DIG, strengthening food systems through agroecology.

• ​Tara Moala is General Manager of Food Security at Auckland City Mission, advancing community-led food sovereignty initiatives.

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Discussion Questions
What can Indigenous and traditional food systems teach us about building more resilient, equitable, and nutritious food systems?
Which regenerative approaches are showing the strongest results across climate, livelihoods, and nutrition, and how can they be scaled?
How can financing models better support regenerative agriculture and community-led food systems?
What would it take to shift from today’s dominant food systems toward models rooted in sovereignty, justice, and local knowledge?