Building Trust to Propel Regenerative Ag Forward: Key Takeaways from COP28

Over two weeks at COP28, global leaders gathered to
discuss the ongoing battle against climate change. Held this year in Dubai,
the event offered a unique opportunity to spark change in the global foodscape
on an entirely new level; and our team at
GoodSAM
had the opportunity to sit in on, and participate, in key discussions.

Participating in COP28 was important for me and my team as the often-overlooked
role of food and
agriculture
in addressing climate change requires the efforts of private companies,
institutions, and farming communities to come together and work toward a
solution. As a brand based in the United States, it is too easy to get stuck
in a cycle of self-congratulatory behavior with things we are doing in the US —
which sometimes doesn’t even feel like much. COP28 provided us a global stage
that helped create a mass-impact perspective — which was inspirational — and
when our team realized how much needs to be done in the climate change space,
overwhelming.

COP28 created within the GoodSAM team a tremendous amount of motivation to
continue to do pursue our
mission
and work even harder to grow and expand our influence to reach new audiences.

A word my team and I heard constantly throughout COP28? Trust. Whether it is
about building trust with farmers, supply partners or others, companies need to
take the time to provide the necessary resources to build relationships in order
to achieve this with one another. At GoodSAM, we know that you cannot build
trust by throwing money at something — you must work for it. It is shocking how
many food executives, governments, tech developers, and other key players don’t
take the time to leave their
offices
and spend time with farmers in the field. This face-to-face time is vital for
trust building and creating mutually beneficial supply systems, as there is no
replacement for sitting with someone and listening to them to fully understand
their situation in order to find empathy. Building trust and engaging farmers
and other supply partners is vital for full collaboration that will help shift
the existing paradigm.

As a brand passionate about creating food systems that benefit everyone and
everything
involved,
GoodSAM’s presence at COP28 marked another notch in our belt to disrupt the
traditional — and oftentimes harmful — food system in a space where real, global
decisions are being made among politicians, business leaders, and key change
activists. My involvement at COP28 in multiple panels on the need for
regenerative
agriculture
and the reduction of
methane
in the food system throughout both the blue and green zones is a prime example
of how small businesses can inspire decision-makers to work toward impactful
change. We look forward to attending next year’s event; and as we work to find
common ground, changemakers really need to examine what could happen in the
climate change space if money and power weren’t a factor.

The most impactful moment of the event for the GoodSAM team was seeing the
declaration of the non-state actors, Indigenous peoples/farmers, and youth as
our Indigenous populations of the world carry wisdom and our youth carry the
future. Since small business is one place where real change can and should
happen, seeing these connections and declarations is important to keep small
business owners like myself on our joint mission to move positive change
forward. Perspective is everything; and it is important to be involved in
discussions around important social issues, as it can help propel your business
into massive action.

At GoodSAM, we are passionate about impactful snacking and transparent supply
networks. Because of this, we are a B Corp-certified brand and all of our
products are direct trade, non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free and contain no added sugar;
and are grown using regenerative practices and preserving indigenous and
smallholder farmer wisdom. When we all put an eye on a common goal that betters
all, we can truly make impactful change for the greater good.