Anna Jones
Rural affairs journalist, writer, broadcaster, television producer, and a farmer’s daughter from the Welsh Borders.
Her credits include Countryfile (BBC One), Our Dream Farm with Matt Baker (Channel 4), Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside, Farming Today, On Your Farm, Open Country and The Archers (BBC Radio 4). She is producing and presenting the upcoming Radio 4 documentary 'Corn Belt People' about rural America in the age of Donald Trump. Anna has reported on agricultural issues for BBC News and the World Service and writes a monthly column for Scribehound Countryside.
Alongside journalism, Anna is the Founder of Just Farmers, a Community Interest Company which helps farmers and people working in land-based sectors feel more confident about storytelling and communication. The idea for Just Farmers was sparked by Anna's research for a Nuffield Farming Scholarship in 2016, which looked at the coverage of agriculture in news and current affairs around the world. She discovered a deep disconnect between farming communities and the mainstream, predominantly urban media - driven mostly by a lack of trust and transparency. Anna wanted to give farmers the skills and confidence to step forward and share their stories, while helping colleagues in the media build more contacts in rural areas. Her mission to improve the national conversation around rural issues inspired her first book 'Divide: The relationship crisis between town and country', published in 2022.
Anna lives in Shropshire, not far from the family farm, with her mad spaniel Lucy.
Mallika Basu
Food writer, broadcaster and communications expert
A passionate advocate for food as a force for good, Mallika works across industry, media and education to spark more joined up, sustainable and profitable conversations around what we eat and why it matters.
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Mallika is also a presenter and features writer for BBC Good Food magazine, and her work appears in Waitrose, National Geographic Traveller, and other leading publications. She also pens In Good Taste - an award-nominated newsletter that explores the context around food, people and planet. She is a finale judge and co-presenter of the Guild of Fine Food's Great Taste awards, which champions artisan and small batch producers. She is a seasoned speaker, event curator and chair delivering sessions at Groundswell, Herts County Show and features on BBC Radio Four.
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With 20+ years in strategic communications, Mallika advises organisations including the NFU, Borough Market, and Wise (TransferWise), and has worked with Jamie Oliver Group, Tesco, Waitrose and Bold Bean Co. She also serves as Committee Lead for Diversity at the Guild of Food Writers and is a former Non-Executive Director at Noble Foods.
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Originally from Kolkata, India, Mallika lives in South London with her two teens.
Chauntelle Lewis
Founder of The Barefoot Planter
Chauntelle offers a holistic approach from seed sowing to garden-to-fork experiences for local communities and corporates through sustainably-led gardening workshops, cooking classes, and dining experiences.
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Passionate about reconnecting people with nature and fostering climate change solutions. Chauntelle's sense of belonging and nature connection is grounded in her gardening adventures and sustainability advocacy.
Eric Walters
Farmer, Good Small Farms
Eric runs a 100 acre mixed farm in Stroud that aims to demonstrate it is possible to be profitable and regenerative while keeping the scale small. Prior to farming, Eric ran businesses in tourism and wellbeing, has an MBA and a Masters in Agroforestry and Food Security.
Sinéad Fenton
Aweside Farm
Sinéad is a grower, speaker and systems thinker working at the intersection of agriculture, ecology, and social change. She is the founder of Aweside Farm in East Sussex, and organic edible flower farm dedicated to regenerative growing practices and the restoration of biodiversity on formerly degraded land.
With a background in applied geology, software development, and food systems advocacy, Sinéad brings a multidisciplinary lens in environmental leadership, community food education and food policy. She is currently exploring pathways to contribute beyond the farm, with a focus on long-term land stewardship, climate resilience and community-rooted enterprise.
Tom Herbert is a baker, food equality champion, and co-founder of The Long Table - a pioneering “pay -as-you-can” community restaurant in Stroud. Tom blends traditional craft with radical hospitality to build more inclusive, sustainable food systems. He also serves as Director of Grace Network and National Field Director for the Harvest Network.
Tom Herbert
Founder/Director of The Long Table
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Mitch Green
Mitch is a Stockman, experienced in holistic planned grazing and regenerative cattle genetics. He is also the founder and facilitator of Emergent Generation's Speakers' Corner, aimed at helping members catch-up, share their passion and practice public speaking. Previously, Mitch studied BSc Zoology and MSc Sustainable Food Systems and is passionate about facilitating communication, connection and dialogue to drive local food system transformation.
Stockman & Facilitator
Hilary Chester-Master
Abbey Home Farm
​Hilary is one of the managing partners of Abbey Home Farm a mixed organic family farm in Cirencester. She is also founding director of The Organic Farm Shop, Cafe & Market Garden, The Farm Project CIC and The Farm Nursery. Hilary’s passions are producing organic food for the local community, offering training for future organic growers and hosting particularly young people who have often not been out of their city on a week long farm residential. She sees her most important job daily is making sure nothing is wasted from the fields and the market garden on its journey to the cafe and shop kitchen and shop.
Andy Rummings
Farmer
Andy grew up on the families farm and then did a degree in agriculture at Reading. He then worked for various off shoots of Defra and its agencies in the South West putting together EU funded rural development projects covering farm diversification, training and animal health. After completing the Worshipful Company of Farmers Challenge of Rural Leadership in 2010, he moved back home with is family, set up a meat business and went part time from civil service work. In 2023 he finally went full time on the farm business focusing on the suckler herd management, butchery and leather side of the business.
Andy Rumming’s family have been farming cattle on the banks of the Thames at Waterhay near Cirencester, and at Lydiard near Swindon for over 60 years. 90 cross bred suckler cows grazed on permanent pasture are the core of the business, delivering 100% grass/pasture fed superior beef, most of which goes through the new on farm butchery. He is Pasture for Life accredited. There is also a free range turkey business, pop up farm shop and a small number of sheep..He also has a business that takes leather made with the farms hides and sells belts and sneaker making workshops most of which are held on the farm.www.andyrummingsbeef.co.uk www.farmsneaker.com
Silas Hedley-Laurence
Farmer, Coach & Consultant
With a decade of experience in regenerative agriculture and formerly farm manager at FAI Farms during their seminal research "AMP Grazing Project" and at English Farm & Butchery, Silas has experience in both commercial and direct selling models.
With ties to New Zealand through his family dairy farm and kiwi fruit orchards, he maintains an emphasis on lean, profitable farming systems that also deliver on increasing biodiversity and soil health gains.
He is in the 2024 Yellowstone cohort of Nicole Master's CREATE program for agroecological coaches. Silas splits his time as a Director shareholder in the Cotswold Cattle Company and his own coaching & consultancy business Grassfed Farmer. Find out more at grassfedfarmer.com
Mary-Ann Ochota
Broadcaster, Writer and CPRE President
Mary-Ann is a broadcaster and author specialising in anthropology, archaeology, and the outdoors and countryside. She hosts podcasts, TV shows and also writes articles for magazines and newspapers. She’s written three books on British archaeology including Hidden Histories: A Spotter’s Guide to the British Landscape, all about deciphering the lumps and bumps in the landscape and working out what stories they reveal.
Mary-Ann is a member of Natural England’s Landscape Advisory Panel (NELAP), which advises the Natural England board on landscape issues. In July 2024 she was appointed as President of CPRE, the Countryside Charity. She’s a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Patron for the Ridgeway National Trail. She’s a proud member of All the Elements, a network of professionals, campaigners and community leaders committed to diversifying the outdoors.
Mary-Ann grew up in Cheshire and now lives in Hertfordshire.
Jonty Brunyee
Co-Founder & Director of Emergent Generation
Agroecological, organic, pasture-fed farmer at Conygree Farm and Cotswold Market Garden; regenerative agriculture adviser, facilitator and mentor; co-founder and director of Emergent Generation.​
Annie Landless
Farmer
Annie farms at Ampney Brook Farm in the Cotswolds, a 600-acre mixed regenerative organic farm producing heritage & population grains, Pasture for Life certified beef, woodland pork and no-dig fruit and vegetables. Alongside this Annie trains farmers in how to use simple soil tests to visually assess soil health with Soilmentor. She loves a chat about herbal leys, mob grazing, grain networks, earthworms, beekeeping and producing good food for local customers.​
Magda Petford
​Magda is dedicated to creating learning infrastructure that supports communities across both urban and rural environments to gain skills and knowledge for resilience amidst the climate crisis. Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams at Black Mountains College and CIVIC SQUARE, she has facilitated spaces that strive to build capacity for people to reimagine their neighbourhoods in a future where people and the planet are thriving together. As a designer and illustrator, Magda finds joy in crafting visual artefacts that bring a sense of hope to complex concepts.
Karl Franklin
Farmer
I am a first generation sheep farmer! I’m a qualified chef by trade and worked my way up the ranks in the cheffing world. I then left that all behind to chase my dream of becoming a farmer! I went from having 12 lambs of my own to now 10 years later being the head shepherd for a farm looking after 500 ewes! I also take you with me, showing everything that comes with the farming reality on my Instagram account @The_Pretend_Farmer!
Becky Grove
Co-Founder & Director of Emergent Generation
After working in film production and commercial advertising for 15 years, Becky took an MA in Social Entrepreneurship in 2019 focusing on innovating careers education for land-based skills. As a result, Becky created 'Grounders', a programme for young people that combined seasonal jobs with food and farming education. This led her to FarmED, where she co-founded Emergent Generation in 2022. She is a Director of the CIC.
