Top 50 Farmers
Cindie Christiansen
Top 50 Farmers is an acceleration platform paving the way for regenerative agriculture to be scaled from soil to gut. We identify the farmers who are role modeling what the future of farming looks like and share their stories. We also connect them with industry executives and pioneering thought leaders to unlock new opportunities across the value chain.
Cindie Christiansen is the Founder and Executive Director of Foodprint Nordic, a nonprofit that partners with food and beverage corporations and gastronomy professionals to redirect funds from their meal sales to regenerative farming projects in the Nordic countries.
Cindie is also a frequent speaker on regenerative agriculture and sustainable food systems. She is a passionate advocate for healthy soils and better conditions to empower regenerative farmers across Europe.
As Project Leader of Top 50 Farmers, Cindie is in charge of the day-to-day operations, our farmer network, fundraising, and the application and selection process.
With over 10 years of experience working on the food system, Cindie brings a deep knowledge of what regenerative farmers need to scale their work and an extensive network of industry professionals who are also working to advance regenerative agriculture.
If you are a farmer or run an organization that supports farmers and would like to get engaged with Top 50 Farmers, send Cindie an email at cindie@top50farmers.org
What was your journey into regenerative agriculture?
I have worked within Nordic gastronomy for more than 10 years. I was deep in my career when I was introduced to regenerative agriculture and it clicked for me that the quality of a dish depends on the quality of the soil. It was then that I started a research journey into the history of agriculture and soil health.
From there, I knew I wanted to spend my time on the real issue we are facing today, which to me is all about how we scale healthy soil to ensure resilient farms and food security in the future.
This journey led me to founding Foodprint Nordic. It became very clear to me that the next generation of farmers wants to work in cooperation with nature, but they don’t have access to the resources, land, or education to do so.
Most of the farmers I meet are self-taught and financing their endeavours on their own while subsidies prop up chemical agriculture. That makes no sense with the meta crisis we are facing.
What are you passionate about?
I want to make agriculture sexy. For too long we have not valued the food we eat and the farmers who are growing the ingredients.
People have forgotten how important farmers are to us.
If we do not encourage the next generation to become farmers, who will grow our food in the future? Today, only 12% of farmers in Europe are under 40 years old. We need to redirect the resources to the next generation of farmers who are farming to feed us and also safe guard the planet.
Cindie Christiansen is the Founder and Executive Director of Foodprint Nordic, a nonprofit that partners with food and beverage corporations and gastronomy professionals to redirect funds from their meal sales to regenerative farming projects in the Nordic countries.
Cindie is also a frequent speaker on regenerative agriculture and sustainable food systems. She is a passionate advocate for healthy soils and better conditions to empower regenerative farmers across Europe.
As Project Leader of Top 50 Farmers, Cindie is in charge of the day-to-day operations, our farmer network, fundraising, and the application and selection process.
With over 10 years of experience working on the food system, Cindie brings a deep knowledge of what regenerative farmers need to scale their work and an extensive network of industry professionals who are also working to advance regenerative agriculture.
If you are a farmer or run an organization that supports farmers and would like to get engaged with Top 50 Farmers, send Cindie an email at cindie@top50farmers.org
What was your journey into regenerative agriculture?
I have worked within Nordic gastronomy for more than 10 years. I was deep in my career when I was introduced to regenerative agriculture and it clicked for me that the quality of a dish depends on the quality of the soil. It was then that I started a research journey into the history of agriculture and soil health.
From there, I knew I wanted to spend my time on the real issue we are facing today, which to me is all about how we scale healthy soil to ensure resilient farms and food security in the future.
This journey led me to founding Foodprint Nordic. It became very clear to me that the next generation of farmers wants to work in cooperation with nature, but they don’t have access to the resources, land, or education to do so.
Most of the farmers I meet are self-taught and financing their endeavours on their own while subsidies prop up chemical agriculture. That makes no sense with the meta crisis we are facing.
What are you passionate about?
I want to make agriculture sexy. For too long we have not valued the food we eat and the farmers who are growing the ingredients.
People have forgotten how important farmers are to us.
If we do not encourage the next generation to become farmers, who will grow our food in the future? Today, only 12% of farmers in Europe are under 40 years old. We need to redirect the resources to the next generation of farmers who are farming to feed us and also safe guard the planet.
