As part of the ongoing partnership, The Allerton Project is providing an introductory training course in regenerative agriculture to Nestlé staff.
The ‘Introduction to Regen Ag’ training is offered on a 1 or 2-day basis, with both courses following a similar structure:
- Introduction to The Allerton Project
- Introduction to agriculture / regen ag
- Farm walks focussing on soil, inputs, biodiversity and water management
- Barriers and opportunities to regen ag
The training is an interactive and collaborative learning process, and delegates are encouraged to have open discussions about their own views on farming, as well as ask questions throughout the day. To kick off the training, the attendees are asked to provide the top challenge they think is affecting agriculture today, which usually instigates reflection on a wide range of political, economic, socio-cultural and environmental factors. As well as receiving a pack of resources on the day, attendees are also given access to an online page with additional reading and learning material, including Allerton’s newly published ‘Farming for a Sustainable Future’ handbook.
What are the key benefits to the training?
Nestlé has set clear ambitions to embed regen ag within their supply chain, aiming to source 20% of key ingredients from farmers adopting regenerative practices by 2025 and 50% by 2030 (Nestlé, 2024a).
Nestlé are therefore keen to gain a thorough understanding of what regen ag realistically looks like on farm. The introduction to regen ag training allows them to access this exact understanding, gaining a practical look of what sustainable farming involves, how the different practices work and what the benefits are. Importantly, the training explores what some of the barriers to uptake are, highlighting that the regen ag story doesn’t always have a fairytale ending. Attendees are also given the opportunity to understand how their role interacts with Nestlé’s regen ag commitments, reflecting on what it means to them and how they might utilize the learning in their employment.
Four groups trained so far.
Since the beginning of the year, The Allerton Project have hosted four Nestlé visits, training a total of 57 individuals up until the end of March. The roles of these individuals within the organisation have varied significantly, with visits so far from Sales, Nestlé Professional and Health Science teams. Over the next nine months, The Allerton project will welcome another twenty visits, with the intention of training a total of approximately 350 Nestlé staff over the year.
Grace Barnes is a Nestlé apprentice and was involved in the first group training:
‘I really enjoyed how interactive and engaging The Allerton Project training day was, it was very discussion-based and felt like no question was left unanswered. I learnt so much about what the term ‘Regenerative Agriculture’ means and the importance of soil health and biodiversity, I feel much more confident with having conversations internally and externally about regenerative agriculture now!’
