Lighthouse Farm Lab Brazil: Managing Complexity in Food Systems

This course is for professionals working in:

• Food value chain redesign or sustainability

• Regenerative agriculture in tropical/subtropical climates

• The supply chain as agronomists, farm managers, supply-chain advisors and sustainability leaders

• Organisations that focus on commodity crops (soy, beef, coffee) that aim to increase resilience

• Agroforestry systems

• Understand how complexity can behave across types of farming systems (e.g., see how large mechanised farms create move away from monoculture, vs. how this looks in smallholder agroforestry systems)
• Analyse complex cropping systems and agroforestry models as resilience strategies
• Explore how commodity-driven landscapes shape social and ecological outcomes
• Recognise trade-offs and develop mindshifts for diversifying beyond dominant cash crops
• Understand how farmers and stakeholders navigate real system change
• Identify leverage points for rethinking your own business model or value chain strategy

During the Lab, you will:

• Visit diverse farms, from large-scale commodity production systems to smallholder cooperative agroforestry systems

• Engage with farmers, cooperatives and processors across the regional food network

• Analyse how complex production systems influence productivity, soil health and market resilience

• Collaborate with other expertson system (re)design

• Explore different commodities' value chains

• Develop actionable strategies to apply in your own professional context

Before joining the Lab, you must complete the online learning modules to build a shared foundation. These modules provide essential concepts, farmer insights and system-thinking tools that prepare you to fully engage in the real-world learning experience at the Lab.