Innovation Mission to South Africa: Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative and Climate Smart Agriculture

The central aim of this agri-food innovation mission is the exploration of equal and mutually beneficial collaboration in research and development, for both researchers and companies. The focus is on collaboration and innovation within the supply chain, with regenerative agriculture as a practical and profitable approach to making farming businesses more resilient and future-proof. The mission concentrates on applying, improving, and scaling regenerative solutions within commercial agriculture, with attention to measurable results, scalability, and alignment with market and supply chain requirements.

Topics covered include:

• Soil health

• Water and nutrient management

• Biodiversity

• Digitalization and data-driven decision-making

Why South Africa?

In South Africa, challenges such as highly variable rainfall, drought stress and soil degradation are prevalent. This increases  a clear need for reliable measurement tools, technologes, and practice-oriented knowledge to better steer and scale regenerative impacts across different cropping systems. Stricter requirements from major buyers such as PepsiCo and Unilever, as well as export regulations to the EU, also play a role in this.

At the same time, further professionalization and scaling are needed, as regenerative practices are knowledge-intensive, locally variable, and difficult to measure. This creates opportunities for collaboration with Dutch companies and research institutions, with South Africa's progressive farmers and strong research institutions complementing Dutch technology and expertise.

For whom?

This innovation mission targets Dutch companies, knowledge institutions and civil society organisations that contribute to the sustainability transition and further professionalisation of regenerative agricultural systems, with attention to both ecological impact and economic viability.

Participation is particularly relevant for parties developing technologies and solutions that support, accelerate or make regenerative practices measurable, including:

• solutions for soil health, soil carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling;
• nature-inclusive and regenerative cropping systems, with a focus on biodiversity enhancement and emission reduction;
• biostimulants, biological crop protection and Integrated Pest Management (IPM);
• digital and data-driven applications for insight, monitoring and decision support;
• financial institutions, value-chain actors and knowledge partners working on upscaling, new business models and financing mechanisms for regenerative agriculture.

Objectives of the mission

The objectives of this mission are:

• to gain insights into the South African ecosystem, commercial practices and key innovation challenges related to regenerative agriculture;
• to explore and exchange best practices and applicable solutions between companies, farmers, knowledge institutions and other relevant stakeholders;
• to identify concrete opportunities for joint pilots, innovation projects and multi-year public–private collaboration in research and development;
• to connect Dutch knowledge, technology and expertise to market and scaling opportunities in South Africa, with relevant learning outcomes for both countries.

Draft programme

The mission programme is currently under development. The key components of the programme include:

• briefings by sector organisations such as AgriSA, Citrus Growers’ Association and Hortgro, as well as experts and public authorities (national ministries and provincial governments) on regenerative agriculture policy and market developments in South Africa;
• visits to companies that are frontrunners in regenerative production, such as ZZ2, the largest tomato producer in the Southern Hemisphere, and Woolworths, an influential and leading retailer in the field of regenerative agriculture and sustainable value chains;
• visits to key actors within the innovation ecosystem, including Stellenbosch University, with its new Agrisciences complex for public–private collaboration, and University of the Free State, which has extensive experience in supporting agri start-ups and their commercialisation;
• networking events with key stakeholders in the Western Cape and Limpopo.

We aim to incorporate the specific interests and priorities of participants as much as possible when shaping the final programme.

Costs

The cost of participating in the innovation mission is €350 per person, excluding VAT. This includes: 

• participation in the collective program;
• transfers to and from program components;
• lunch and dinners specified in the final program.

Participation excludes: 

• travel and accommodation expenses;
• all individual expenses, such as lunches and dinners outside the programme.

Register

Would you like to participate in this innovation mission? Then please register no later than Friday, February 20th, using the registration form.

Definite participation depends on the number of available spots. We will also assess how well your technology fits within the scope and objective of the mission.

Want to know more?

Do you have any questions about this innovation mission? Please contact Bob Hengeveld (Innovation Mission Advisor) via bob.hengeveld@rvo.nl or +31 6 2943 3216

Are you looking for financial support for your plans?

• The Knowledge and Innovation Agenda Agriculture, Water, Food (KIA LWV) offers annual funding opportunities for public-private R&D partnerships through the SMP (Seed Money Project) and PPP (Public-Private Partnership) instruments.
• In addition, various other instruments, such as DHI and PIB, are available within the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). Consult our subsidy and financing options for South Africa.