Sustainability

As ecological and economic pressures intensify across the global food system, Ivey Business School is responding with a bold, research-driven commitment – the establishment of the Abell-Hodgson Chair in Regenerative Agriculture. Made possible through the generous support and partnership of Ivey alum Sarah Abell, HBA’81, the chair will support cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research to advance more sustainable and inclusive models for Canada’s agri-food system. This newly endowed position will sit within Ivey’s Centre for Building Sustainable Value. “There is growing appreciation of the need for business-based solutions to shift influence away from concentrated corporate interests and toward more inclusive food systems,” said Abell. “We need approaches that deliver healthier food at affordable prices, build healthier soil and support thriving ecosystems. Ivey and the Building Sustainable Value Centre are uniquely positioned to lead that change with the analytical rigour, sectoral insight and practical connection to farmers that this evolution demands.” The Centre for Building Sustainable Value has emerged as a major centre of excellence for sustainable food systems, with major work in areas such as regenerative agriculture and climate-smart circularity, as well as convening the Future of Agri-food Event Series. In the past two years, the Centre for Building Sustainable Value has been working on designing and launching the Collective Action Program for Regenerative Agriculture (CAP), a multi-region research initiative employing a systems-level and interdisciplinary approach. The CAP initiative tackles poor-connectivity and competition between farmers by developing inclusive and regenerative communities of practice that improve individual and collective performance through peer-to-peer learning and resource sharing. As of 2021, Southern Ontario was home to over 17,000 farms, making it one of Canada’s most vital agricultural regions. The Centre for Building Sustainable Value combines geographic proximity to a vast array of farming communities with Ivey’s strengths in strategic thinking, systems design and business operations. This uniquely positions the centre to lead on developing regenerative models locally, that can be tested and replicated across Canada through tailoring for local conditions.

The Abell-Hodgson Chair will advance research across three interconnected fields:

Individual farm-level competitiveness

Examining how agricultural approaches that produce healthy foods, regenerate eco-systems and contribute to local communities can strengthen their individual economic competitiveness.

Regional farming communities

Looking at how diverse farmers and agronomists can form tight collaborative communities that share know-how, broker financing opportunities, learn new technologies and better manage common resources to create a better future for their region.

Broader food system structures

Investigate how agri-food supply chains, markets and investors and public policy at multiple levels of government should evolve to incentivize and de-risk the transition toward a more regenerative and inclusive food system. “This generous gift enables us to drive important and impactful research that informs both practice and policy,” said Jury Gualandris, director of the Centre for Building Sustainable Value and inaugural holder of the Abell Hodgson Chair in Regenerative Agriculture. “It will help us connect Canada’s most innovative farmers, processors, retailers, tech entrepreneurs and investors to build communities of practice and co-create collective incentives and practical tools that regenerate soil, reduce emissions and foster shared prosperity.”

That grassroots impact will be amplified through three Lighthouse Projects designed to overcome systemic barriers within Canada’s agri-food system. The first project is the CAP initiative. The CAP pilot is starting in Middlesex County, engaging with a local network of leading farmers that will seek to influence practices over at least 3,000 acres. This peer-to-peer network will share regenerative production practices, adopt innovative approaches and develop governance models that can be replicated across other counties in Ontario and beyond. The second project engages innovative food processors, retailers and investors to reimagine agri-food value chains. These firms will collaboratively map out how procurement, distribution and finance systems can be redesigned to encourage regenerative practices at the farm level, moving from pilot strategies to sector-wide solutions. Together with CAP, this second project combines bottom-up change at the level of primary production with top-down incentives from the value chain. The third project, a dedicated stream within the Western Accelerator known as ‘The Regenerator,’ is supporting early-stage ventures in agri-tech and sustainability. Entrepreneurs receive mentorship and funding to scale circular, nature-positive innovations that deliver measurable ecological and economic impact. These projects are led by a team of over 10 world-class professors from across Ivey Business School and Western Science, with expertise in areas such as supply chain management, accounting, business strategy, entrepreneurship, social psychology, digital information systems and biology. “Sarah’s visionary gift reflects the kind of leadership our world needs right now – bold, values-driven and focused on impact,” said Julian Birkinshaw, dean of the Ivey Business School.

“This investment allows Ivey to deepen its commitment to sustainability and amplify its real-world impact. We are honoured to partner with Sarah in advancing regenerative agriculture as a national and global priority.” – Julian Birkinshaw, dean of Ivey Business School

Over time, the work focused on regenerative agriculture and the food system will unveil important lessons and solutions with some applicability to other economic sectors, such as construction and energy. Achieving meaningful intentional impact, however, requires to build deep relationships in specific sectorial and geographical areas. Ivey’s Centre for Building Sustainable Value decided to start from its home in Southern Ontario, and the major industry that exists around it – agriculture. The Abell-Hodgson Chair strengthens Ivey’s position as a national leader in regenerative agriculture, fuelling systemic research, enabling grassroots transformation and helping to build a food system that is both ecologically sound and economically inclusive.