Koen van Seijen is Host & Co-founder of the Investing in Regenerative Agriculture & Food Podcast. Through in-depth interviews with pioneers in regenerative agriculture and food, Koen explores how we can direct capital to restore soil health, uplift communities, and revitalise ecosystems — all while aiming for fair and sustainable returns.
With over 300 interviews recorded with investors, fund managers, and farmers, Koen has created a rich knowledge base for anyone interested in transforming our food system.
Be The Earth Foundation is a proud sponsor of the podcast, committed to advancing a regenerative approach to food. We recently spoke with Koen to dive into his podcast journey and the insights he’s gained along the way.
What inspired you to start a podcast focused on regenerative agriculture and food systems?
I'd spent a lot time with people building companies and investment funds in the regen space and, of course, with farmers — and also with impact investors. What I realised was that no one in this space seemed to talk to each other. It really surprised me and felt very counterintuitive.
So, we decided to record those conversations and hopefully connect more people with resources and other people ready to put them to work to regenerate soils, people, local communities and ecosystems at scale.
You’ve interviewed over 300 pioneers in the food & RegenAg world: what’s the most important lesson you’ve learnt?
It's possible, but it takes time :) Regeneration is achievable beyond our wildest dreams, but it requires time, dedication, and often significant resources. So, our question is, how do we use finance as a tool to accelerate regeneration, without losing sight of the tension that a predominantly extractive financial system brings to the regenerative space?
The most surprising thing you’ve learnt?
How deeply philosophical experienced regenerative farmers are. I'm not entirely sure why — but maybe it has something to do with the fact that they facilitate life and that makes you humble and a deeper thinker?
One more thing: it’s striking how little most people, even within food and agriculture, truly understand about farming, photosynthesis, and the fundamentals — like how plants actually grow! We’ve become so far removed from nature.
What are the biggest barriers you've seen in transitioning from conventional to regenerative farming?
The point I made before: we are so far removed from nature (although we are part of it obviously) that we have a lot of very strong — but false — narratives around our current food and agriculture system. For example, that it feeds the world, that it could ever be sustainable with all the chemical fossil fuel inputs, and that nobody wants to be a farmer etc. These false narratives hinder the flow of money and talent.
What excites you most about the future of regenerative agriculture?
Despite all this, the influx of talent in the last 5 years or so is very encouraging — particularly people with rich experience in building businesses and organisations. I am seeing more and more people with experience in raising funds, building teams, and executing strategies being bitten by the “soil bug" and creating enterprises in the regenerative space.
We need a lot more people to worry about the 6 inches of topsoil and dedicate their work time to it. Not just being a regenerative consumer, voting with your food dollars, and investing your savings in the sector — this is all super important but somewhat limited! Now, what we really need is people to build more regenerative companies and organisations from the ground up!