Groundswell Festival 2025 was not just another agricultural event: it was a convergence of visionaries, farmers, policymakers, scientists and soil lovers who came together to imagine, discuss and demonstrate a better food and farming future. With over 10,000 attendees and more than 400 speakers across two packed days, the event was an unforgettable experience for all.

First up, thanks to the incredible organisation from the NOTS team – from group flights into Luton Airport, to shared coach transfers and communal glamping, NOTS made the logistics seamless and created an enriching and bonding experience for all involved.

Where do I even start with highlights!

Rob Hopkins: Falling in love with the future
One of the most powerful moments came from Rob Hopkins, who led an extraordinary session inviting attendees to close their eyes and time travel to 2030. For several minutes, the crowd of hundreds sat in reflective silence, envisioning a future where food systems, farms, and communities had healed and thrived. The emotional responses that followed were profound many people shared feelings of hope and responsibility.

Rob reminded us that to build the future, we must first be able to imagine it. For Irish growers, his approach presents an opportunity to think beyond the immediate farming challenges and toward long-term sustainability. By building stronger local networks and exploring alternatives to industrial-scale food systems, we can take meaningful steps towards greater resilience in our farming systems.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: Passion for farming
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall brought his signature energy and depth to discussions on farming with heart, sustainability, and public food procurement. His call to action focused on creating systems that work for farmers, the planet, and people’s health resonating strongly with me as Irish growers are navigating similar challenges.

Well-known for his advocacy of ethical farming and healthy eating, Hugh’s talk wasn’t just about food it was about the systems that sustain it. His passion for improving farming practices, ensuring animal welfare, and encouraging plant-based eating habits resonated deeply with attendees. In a world where the farming community often faces challenges around profitability and sustainability, Hugh’s infectious enthusiasm for regenerative practices was a reminder of the importance of reconnecting with nature and farming.

For me, Hugh’s message was clear: we need to embrace diverse, organic, and sustainable farming methods not just for the health of our land but for the health of our people. As our organic sector expands, the conversation around eating sustainably becomes even more crucial.

Bridging the Gap: food hubs & procurement
Sessions like “Making Public Procurement Work via Food Hubs” offered practical roadmaps for integrating small-scale producers into public supply chains. The role of food hubs in aggregating produce, simplifying logistics, and engaging public institutions was underlined as a key opportunity for Irish initiatives.

Practical Demos: Compost, mob grazing & more
Demonstrations were everywhere from compost turning and agroforestry to alley cropping and mobile poultry systems. These living laboratories allowed attendees to see, smell, and touch regenerative techniques in action.

Richard Harding: No-till potatoes
Another highlight was Richard Harding’s field trials of no-till potatoes grown under mulch. Yielding around 46 t/ha at ~75% of conventional levels, the trials showed promise for scaling soil-positive potato systems without tillage something Irish organic growers could explore further.

Sonia Lee: Mulch-based organic veg trials
Sonia Lee presented ongoing trials comparing mulched versus tilled vegetable beds in organic systems. Results showed strong weed suppression, improved soil moisture retention, and yields comparable to traditional methods. These are timely lessons for organic growers seeking to reduce tillage however there is still a lot of work to be done to iron out how this is scalable, developing suitable machinery for planting into mulches and pest control.

Gabe Brown: Building profitable regenerative systems
Gabe Brown’s headline talk laid out the financial and ecological case for regenerative diversity emphasising multi-species cover cropping, stacked enterprises, and carbon-smart management as keys to long-term farm viability.

Climate, policy & mental health
Sessions on climate resilience, biodiversity markets, and farmer mental health gave breadth and grounding to the festival’s forward-thinking ethos. The intersection of policy, finance, and wellbeing was tackled by speakers like Dr. Pete Fallen (Met Office) and Didi Pershouse.

The Groundswell vibe
Beyond the learning, Groundswell’s atmosphere was its own kind of magic: birdwatching safaris, yoga at dawn, music in the Earthworm Arms marquee, and long evening conversations over fire-baked pizza and Hodmedod’s pulses. Delegates shared glamping tents, stories, and dreams. It truly felt like a community in motion.

A final word & key take aways
Groundswell 2025 offered an abundance of inspiration and ideas. Some of key take aways for Irish organic growers, and for us at the OGI include:

• Visioning: Integrating future-focused exercises like Rob Hopkins’ in farm networks and events.
• Innovation: Trialing no-till and mulch-based systems in Irish conditions.
• Connection: Building stronger food hubs and link them to public procurement.
• Wellbeing: Making space for mental health and community within farming life.

Groundswell 2025 proved that change isn’t only possible it’s already happening. For those of us privileged to attend, the challenge now is to translate ideas into action and bring some of that vision home, field by field, conversation by conversation.

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