For Alex Hardie, from the School of Sustainable Food & Farming at Harper Adams University, helping farmers and the wider food supply chain navigate this transition is at the heart of his work. 

From working with farmers, retailers and policymakers to delivering learning programmes and sharing the latest innovations, Alex is focused on helping build more resilient and sustainable food businesses. 

We caught up with Alex to find out more about his work, the challenges facing agriculture and why networking and collaboration will be so important for the future of farming. 

1. Introduce yourself and the business you work for/own 

My name's Alex Hardie and I work at the School of Sustainable Food & Farming at Harper Adams University 

2. What does a typical day look like for you at work? 

My typical day involves working with people in the food supply chain (retailers, farmers processors, policy makers) to help farmers with the transition to more resilient businesses producing food sustainably. 

We deliver a lot of knowledge exchange so we're often to be found hosting conferences or delivering learning programmes for farmers. 

You might also find me taking 20 minutes to get away from the desk and walk the beautiful campus here at Harper Adams! 

3. What's the biggest challenge you're currently facing, and how are you adapting to it? 

Our biggest challenge is helping our stakeholders with the great number of social and political hurdles that frustrate the path to sustainable farming. All farmers want to produce delicious nutritious food, and they want to do that while enriching the land they take care of. Thankfully our plan for this is delivering and we're not able to see our impact across the supply chain. 

4. If you could give one piece of advice to a farmer or someone just starting out in the industry, what would it be? 

Network. And as you build your network, never stop asking questions. Take part in learning opportunities because there are lot of very good (and often free to take part) learning programmes out there. If you're under age 40 consider applying for the Future Farmer Programme. 

5. What keeps you coming back to Low Carbon Agriculture each year, and what value do you get from attending? 

The event is a great opportunity to discover innovations in the world of carbon and to meet the people who are a part of it. 

6. What are you looking forward to the most about the 2027 event? 

I'm looking forward to connecting with people I know and people I am looking forward to knowing. Collaboration is the answer to many of agriculture's big challenges and those connections are made at great events like this one. 

Meet the people shaping the future of agriculture 

Alex's focus on knowledge exchange and collaboration reflects the ethos of Low Carbon Agriculture – bringing together farmers, landowners, researchers, businesses and industry experts to share ideas and explore practical solutions for a more sustainable and resilient agricultural sector. 

From discovering new technologies and approaches to making valuable connections, the show provides an opportunity to learn from those already working to tackle the challenges facing farming. 

Join Alex and the wider agricultural community at Low Carbon Agriculture 2027 to discover the latest innovations, share knowledge and build the connections that could help shape the future of your business. 

Register for your FREE early bird ticket today!