Summary

In this episode of Sustainability Stories, Scott Poynton shares his experiences in Nakpatua, Ghana, where he introduces biochar to local farmers. The conversation explores the farmers' initial understanding of biochar, their observations during trials, and the potential benefits of using biochar in agriculture. The episode highlights the community's engagement and the promising future of biochar in enhancing soil health and resilience against climate change.

Takeaways

• The farmers in Nakpatua had little knowledge of biochar before its introduction.
• Biochar is made from agricultural waste and helps retain water in soil.
• Farmers are eager to learn and observe the effects of biochar on their crops.
• Mixing biochar with manure is a favored method among farmers.
• Farmers are not nervous about using biochar due to positive past experiences with charcoal.
• Biochar can increase crop yields by 20-30%.
• The longevity of biochar in soil is a significant advantage over chemical fertilizers.
• Farmers are encouraged to experiment with biochar in their gardens and fields.
• The community's trust in Scott Poynton's initiatives is strong due to past successes.
• The future of biochar in Nakpatua looks promising as farmers continue to learn and adapt.

Sound Bites

"You do get benefits just with biochar."
"They have no doubt at all."
"I think it's going to be great."

When Full Stomachs Still Mean Starvation

Come to the field with me to explore food insecurity in northern Ghana's dry season: yams, cassava, and the struggle for nutrition, resilience, and how biochar and protein crops like Bambara create hope for farming families.

From M&S Plan A to Nature Metrics and beyond, Katie shares lessons on building businesses that value nature, drive systemic change, and create hope for a living planet.

In this wide-ranging conversation, sustainability leader Katie Critchlow joins Scott Poynton to share her journey from pioneering Plan A at Marks & Spencer to leading Nature Metrics and now co-founding Re-genus, a fungi-based regenerative agriculture startup. Katie reflects on the successes and frustrations of corporate sustainability, the limits of data and impact investing, and why reconnecting people with nature is more powerful than reports or metrics. She also speaks candidly about values, trust, feminine energy in leadership, and the urgent need for systemic change in capitalism to secure a thriving planet. Inspiring and hopeful, Katie's story blends hard-won lessons with a clear call to action for anyone who cares about sustainability, biodiversity, and the future of humanity.

• Katie's journey: from M&S Plan A sustainability pioneer, to WWF Indonesia, Nature Metrics CEO, and now co-founder of Regenerate (fungi-based regenerative agriculture).

• Corporate sustainability: moving from "doing less harm" to systemic change; frustrations with compliance, reporting, and greenwashing.

• Valuing nature: the limits of economics vs. the infinite value of biodiversity; the importance of reconnecting people emotionally and spiritually to nature.

• Impact investment: tensions between financial return expectations and genuine regenerative impact.

• Hope vs. collapse: social cohesion, trust, and the "one scenario" where humanity can thrive.

• Feminine energy & diversity in leadership and boardrooms.

• Regenerative agriculture: fungi compost innovation to reduce synthetic fertilizer use, cut emissions, and restore soils.

• Values: being human-first, truth-telling, compassion, trust, and connection.

Meet Denis and Harriet, humanitarian leaders from Uganda's community empowerment initiative, Anyim Wa.

Explore the transformative potential of biochar for smallholder farmers in Ghana as I share my firsthand experiences.'

Hugh Locke shares stories of his journey as a spiritual warrior and advocate for sustainability, focusing on empowering farmers worldwide.

Learn how One Tree Planted is revolutionizing sustainability by restoring forest landscapes worldwide.

Nadene Canning is a facilitator, learning designer, coach, mentor and a very fine human being. She cares about others and has deep experience supporting people to travel their journeys. I had the privilege of meeting Nadene online in January 2024 and in person a month or so later. We got along like a house on fire.

We're both fascinated by this notion of regeneration; yes, of soils and Nature, but in our case, most particularly the regeneration of the human spirit. We have committed to exploring the topic in a series of short (around 10 min) podcasts.

This is our first episode and we look forward to diving deeper into this exploration with you. If you have comments or questions, do post them and we'll aim to explore as many as we can in future episodes.