Lighthouse Farm Academy

This programme is designed for professionals who play a role in shaping future farming and food systems, including:

• Professionals across the global food system supply chain
• Policymakers, financials, technology providers and advisors
• Organisations facing sustainability, market or climate-related transitions
• Professionals seeking practical, science-based insights on how to drive system change

Learning with and from your peers is central to the programme. A diverse community encourages fresh perspectives, unexpected collaborations and actionable solutions.

• Understand transition pathways for sustainable and resilient farming
• Identify leverage points in your own system or organisation
• Make informed decisions grounded in science and global best practice
• Strengthen your ability to initiate and support agricultural transitions
• Apply system-thinking tools to real-world challenges
• Develop a personal action plan for driving change in your own context

Join the LHFA to gain valuable insights from successful pioneering farms around the world, illuminating diverse pathways for sustainable agriculture in 2050. They typically represent various agricultural sectors, such as industrial, smallholder, women-led, and organic. By participating in our programme, you will tap into the expertise of these farms. Lighthouse Farms around the world serve as beacons. They are already successful, profitable farms, because they have found radically new solutions to operate sustainably in and with the global food system.

The LHFA is a blended programme, combining an online component with an immersive on-site experience, called the Lighthouse Farm Lab. It adheres to the highest academic standards while grounding the knowledge in practical farm experiences.

Using the concepts of 'scaling up', 'scaling deep', and 'scaling wide', we'll provide examples and science-based insights to help you make informed decisions and drive real change in the industry. Gain the knowledge and experiences necessary to navigate the challenges and opportunities of sustainable farming.

Join us at the Lighthouse Farm Academy and become part of a community dedicated to shaping the future of farming for a more sustainable world! You can expect to gain structured knowledge and broaden your tools by learning about different concepts of future scenarios in agrifood. This will help you achieve your individual goals and drive your career.

Online component
During this series of courses you will learn the fundamentals of the Lighthouse Farm concepts, understand methodologies, tools and different approaches. It consists of four modules, accompanied by readings, self-tests, and discussion groups with your cohort:

• Stories of Lighthouse Farms
• Indicators of Success
• Beyond Sustainability / 'Five Shades of Green'
• Transitions

Lighthouse Farm Lab
After finishing the online component (mandatory), you will partake in the highlight of the programme: the Lighthouse Farm Lab. This is a five-day immersive field trip to the Lighthouse Farm that is most relevant to your professional circumstance. Here, you will see best practice in action: an already successful, financially viable and sustainable farm, functioning in and with the food system.

Lighthouse Farm Lab locations 2026

• 13 April - 17 April | Brazil - managing complexity in food systems (see linked page below)
• 1 June - 5 June | Serbia - data-driven sustainable farming
• 21 September - 24 September | Finland - building circular food systems
• 16 November - 20 November | Spain - Regenerative Agriculture at a Landscape Scale

Additional Labs are currently being scheduled. As soon as the dates are available, you will be able to find them here.

Download the flyer for the full programme.