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Discover our mission: a social enterprise academy offering circular‑economy tools and training to optimize agrifood systems and protect ecosystems. Why Rural PM is a management academy forged by a group of dedicated social entrepreneurs united by their passion. We’ve come together to tackle a tangled problem tree by pooling our diverse expertise from agriculture, software and design to hospitality, psychology and education. Our goal is to deliver simple, powerful solutions that create real, lasting impact. We’re driven to ignite circular thinking and inspire organizations to adopt management practices that put people and the planet first. Through our tools and educational programs, we offer a dynamic, hands on learning experience tailored to the needs of those working in agriculture and food systems. From transformative classes and social impact tours to incubation programs and hands on articles and exercises, we’re committed to guiding, growing and sparking inspiration across the entire farm to fork cycle. Currently, our mission is to strengthen the management skills of everyone involved in that journey farmers, food producers and beyond, to protect our planet’s ecosystems and food traditions for generations to come. At the heart of the problem tree we’re tackling lie some challenges: inefficient agricultural practices, poorly managed rural policies and the gradual loss of our treasured culinary legacy. Since 2011, we’ve been planting seeds for long term change, guided by a few questions: How can we design and co create transformation paths that help agriculture and food system professionals build stronger, more mature management structures? How can we support farmers and HORECA (hotel, restaurant and catering) professionals in shifting to circular systems that regenerate our culture and cuisine? How can we showcase simple, practical and effective management practices for policymakers and ecosystems tied to the farm to fork cycle?

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Discover Rural PM’s tools for publishing agriculture and food professionals. Address challenges funding hurdles, market shifts, operational bottlenecks, climate pressures and supply chain gaps through practical tools and insights. Tools and Publishing We’re here to help agrifood innovators, communities and businesses shape a food system that’s sustainable, circular and deeply rooted in local traditions. At Agrifood Solutions Publishing, we create content to address challenges funding hurdles, market shifts, operational bottlenecks, climate pressures and supply chain gaps through practical tools and insights. Our work rests on 5 pillars, each tied to a core challenge we see in the agrifood world today: Sustainability & Circular Bioeconomy Value & Supply Chain Project & Ops Management Business & Market Development Policy & Rural Governance What’s Coming Next We’re working toward a future where circular agrifood ventures are the norm where waste turns into new flavors, ancestral knowledge fuels innovation and every choice strengthens local ecosystems and economies. Look out for new training programs, expanded value mapping tools and practical guides like updated SROI frameworks and circular bioeconomy playbooks. We’re also doubling down on connecting mission driven ventures with non dilutive funding to preserve regional culinary identities and build resilient, place based food systems.

Connect with farmers, HORECA professionals, researchers and trainers worldwide. Share knowledge, co create training and drive sustainable food system innovation. Join our network Are you a management expert, coach, agronomist, farm expert, chef, researcher or HoReCa professional with experience in agrifood systems? We invite you to join our global network! You’ll collaborate with like minded experts, exchange knowledge and contribute to impactful training programs that boost social impact, efficiency and resilience in the agrifood sector. Join us to refine your expertise and lead transformative change in the agrifood industry. If you’re passionate about transforming agriculture and food systems and eager to share your expertise, we’d love to hear from you! Ways to contribute 1. Share what you know Our Academy invites collaborators to help shape and deliver programs grounded in real practice. Facilitate hands on trainings, simulations or case walkthroughs. Co create tools, guides and learning experiences with impact. Engage with learners who value outcomes, not theory. 2. Support and shape the tools Join our publishing circle on Patreon to help drive the creation of lean, effective tools for the agrifood field. As a member, you: Access exclusive frameworks, canvases and exercises. Vote on what we publish and test next. Contribute to high leverage field experiments. Explore membership types

Join Rural PM at the United Nations Sustainable Food Systems Programme Conference to explore sustainable food system solutions and management tools. Topic: Modernizing the mindset and operating models of food system actors Conference Registration Side Event United Nations Sustainable Food Systems Programme 2023 This conference panel will explore the importance of mindset and operating models in modernizing the food system. At global scale our food system is facing numerous challenges including climate change, food insecurity, biodiversity erosion, food waste, unsustainable agricultural practices and public health. To address these challenges, decision makers must rethink their positions towards new approaches and ways of working. In this panel unique speakers which are strong in their domain, will share their unique insights and will discuss the need for modernizing the mindset and operating models of food system actors. The discussion will revolve around the following themes: Mindset transformation: First topic to kick off will be the need for a paradigm shift in the way food system actors think about their roles and responsibilities. They will revisit the importance of adopting a more holistic approach that considers the entire food value chain, from production to recycling. Operating model innovation: Around this theme we will discuss the importance of leveraging technology to optimize food system operations and developing innovative operating models that increase efficiency, reduce waste, and improve sustainability. Circular economy adaptations: Here we will debate about promoting sustainable practices such as reducing waste, increasing resource efficiency, and designing for reuse and regeneration. Policy and regulation: Finally, we will touch on the role of policy and regulation in facilitating the modernization of the food system. Discussion will focus on the need for policies that incentivize innovation and support the transition to a more sustainable and resilient food system. Overall, this panel aims to provide insights into the importance of why our way of thinking and way of working across the entire food system needs modernization urgently. Moreover it will offer practical recommendations for food system actors to adopt new approaches and strategies to address the challenges facing the global food system. Speakers Roger Spitz - President of Techistential (Climate & Foresight Strategy) and Chair of the Disruptive Futures Institute Based in San Francisco, Roger Spitz is a world-leading authority on foresight, sustainability, and transformative innovation. His latest book Disruption as a Springboard to Value Creation (Volume IV from “The Definitive Guide to Thriving on Disruption” collection) became a bestseller in Green Business & Sustainable Development Economics (Amazon). Techistential, Roger’s renowned climate & strategic foresight practice, advises boards, leadership teams, and investors on sustainable value creation. Roger is an inaugural member of Cervest’s Climate Intelligence Council, a contributor to IEEE’s ESG standards, and the Foresight & Sustainability partner of Vektor Partners (Palo Alto, London), an impact VC firm investing in the future of mobility. Sharon Cittone - Founder and CEO of Edible Planet Ventures . G100 Global Chair 4 Food Innovation, Food Tech Junkies Podcast Host, Ecosystem Builder and Community Shaper, Board Member, Mentor and Advisor, TedX Speaker & Expert Sharon has been at the forefront of building and growing the global food and agtech ecosystem for the better part of a decade. Her work with start-ups, corporations, investors, policymakers, institutions and youth landed her the title of one of Forbes’ most powerful women shaping the future of food. She is the Founder & CEO of Edible Planet Ventures, a systemic platform that aims to reshape our food system by convening leading voices and visionaries to collaborate and innovate around the most pressing challenges of today. Sharon is active in several other roles. She currently is a Founding Board Member of the AgrifoodTech Italia Association, part of the scientific advisory committee of BAM - Biblioteca degli Alberi, and sits on the Advisory Board of the World Food Programme Italia. She’s also a mentor for both Rockstart Agrifood and the FoodTech Accelerator, on the advisory committee of two funds, part of the United for Regeneration-Now Partners team, and Global Chair for Food Innovation for the G100, a group of global leaders all joined in a pact of purpose to create massive opportunities for women worldwide. Sonalie Figueiras - Founder & Editor-in-Chief Green Queen - and Co-Founder & CEO Source Green 2021 Women of Power, 2019 GEN T Honoree, V Label Global Hero, 2 x TEDx Speaker: Serial social entrepreneur & trends forecaster Sonalie Figueiras is a sustainability expert, food futurist and eco-powerhouse who has been inspiring global audiences for over a decade with practical steps on how to fight climate change. Known as the Green Queen of Asia, she is the founder and Editor in Chief of the award-winning Green Queen - the region’s first impact media platform that educates millions of readers on the connection between health, sustainability and the environment and showcases future solutions. She is also the co-founder and CEO of organic sourcing platform Ekowarehouse and climate tech SaaS Source Green, which helps consumer brands quit plastic packaging thanks to proprietary plastic reduction software In addition, Sonalie is a global keynote speaker and an advisor to multiple mission-driven startups and NGOs, and a venture partner to several VC funds. Christopher Koetke - Chairman of Worldchef's Feed The Planet Committee; Corporate Executive Chef at Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc He is currently Corporate Executive Chef at Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc, and the Chair of the Feed the Planet Committee of Worldchefs. Indeed, having a 40-years experience of working in the foodservice industry and given his global travels experimenting with ingredients and flavors, Chris is a well-known expert on culinary matters. Therefore, in 2010, he was given the inaugural Chefs Collaborative Pathfinder Award for his work in making sustainability mainstream both within foodservice operations and education.  + Canberk Genc - Change and Education Programs - Founder of Rural PM Canberk is a farmer, management advisor, system thinker in agriculture, food systems and organizational agility subjects. He led many initiatives with pioneering organizations on a global scale, counting more than 82000 hours project portfolio management experience in environments such as banking, app and SaaS development, biotech, supply chain, retail, hospitality and agriculture. After witnessing environmental erosion and participating in group studies in the EU Commission, he helped to establish Rural PM in 2016 with the aim of strengthening the management models of farm to fork system actors to improve their value creation in a regenerative way. OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES This conference aims to make a substantial contribution to the UN Food Systems Summit’s follow-up process, in view of the first Stock-Taking Moment that is tentatively scheduled for June/July 2023 (TBC). It will build on the past fruitful collaborations of the SFS Programme with the UN FSS Secretariat and the current Coordination Hub, as well as the expertise and tools of the SFS Programme and the outcomes of the Programme’s previous three global conferences. Following the recommendations of the SFS Programme’s 3rd conference and building on the momentum and the findings of the UNFSS, the objectives of the 4th global conference are: To present transformational actions, tools and initiatives that have emerged since the UNFSS with a view to promote their uptake and upscaling in national and local policy-making processes. To further promote the food systems approach and inclusive governance and collaboration at all levels – including multilateral and particularly Rio Conventions - with a view to foster their uptake for the development of multi-sectoral action plans towards sustainable consumption and production in food systems; and To provide a space for National Convenors, UNFSS coalitions and other relevant multi-actor initiatives as well as other food systems actors, to build capacities and deepen their collective efforts towards sustainable food systems pathways, in view of the UNFSS 2023 Stock-Taking Moment. The expected outcomes of the conference are: Evidence-based recommendations on a range of transformational actions to refine, and achieve integration across National Pathways, climate NDCs, CBD targets and the broader SDGs, and increase implementation with a focus on inclusive governance and collaboration, integrated policies and means of implementation; and Update of progress/commitments/new processes by countries and other stakeholders on National Pathways and other food systems transformation actions. Strengthen the UNFSS 'Ecosystem of Support' and its linkages to the SFS Programme. The conference will enable diverse stakeholders to showcase early signs of success in implementing UN FSS results, including by presenting tools and techniques that deal with interdependencies and trade-offs of the food systems challenges, allowing the sharing of lessons and experiences, with the goal of strengthening alliances and impactful initiatives that can deliver concrete actions in support of National Pathways. The conference will also discuss food system challenges and peer-to-peer learning and sharing of experiences from across the globe, emphasizing Asian region country participation. BACKGROUND Over a third of the Earth’s habitable land supports agriculture, providing livelihoods for nearly half the world’s population. 21–37 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are traceable to our food systems, driven primarily by deforestation, land use change, and land management activities. According to the United Nations Environment Programme/Chatham House, ‘Agriculture is the single largest cause of land-use change and habitat destruction, accounting for 80 per cent of all land-use change globally’. Global food systems leave approximately 828 million people (one in ten) affected by hunger, and more than 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. About two-thirds of the extremely poor live in rural areas where most food is produced. There is an urgent need to build sustainable food systems that are healthy for people and the planet as put forth by the UN Secretary General’s convening of the first Food Systems Summit in 2021. The UNFSS generated unprecedented awareness and momentum on the pivotal role sustainable food systems play in achieving the SDGs and a 1.5-degree world. Through the UNFSS emphasis on dialogue and multi-sectoral plans, over 100 countries developed ‘Food Systems Transformation National Pathways’, the foundation for the necessary transformative action we need. A few months later, in June 22, and in acknowledgement of the successive multiple interrelated crises (the 4 Cs: COVID-19, high costs, new conflicts, and climate change) that have exacerbated the dire challenges that were already afflicting our society, the Stockholm+50 international meeting stated that a healthy planet may require a review of the way our current economic system works, including through defining and adopting new measures of progress and human well-being, supported by economic and fiscal instruments and multi-sectorial policy action that account for the value of human health and the environment. This unprecedented new background calls for ever more urgent transformative action at scale, requiring countries to deliver on Food Systems Transformation National Pathways and related commitments, which will be accounted for in the first UNFSS Stock-Taking meeting in 2023. The 4th global conference of the SFS Programme will take place before the Stock-taking meeting contributing to its preparations and building momentum by providing early signals of progress towards the transformation we need. ABOUT THE SFS PROGRAMME The Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Programme is a multi-stakeholder partnership with the aim to accelerate the transformation towards sustainable consumption and production patterns in all areas related to food, with a special focus on promoting a holistic food systems approach in policy making. The SFS Programme is part of the One Planet Network (10YFP), the UN mandated mechanism to foster Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG12). The SFS Programme currently has over 190 members worldwide, bringing together leading organizations from government, the UN system, civil society, the scientific community, and the private sector. The Co-Leads of the SFS Programme are Costa Rica (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock), Switzerland (Federal Office for Agriculture), and WWF, and they are supported by a 23-member Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee (MAC). The SFS Programme played an active role in the preparatory process of the UN Food Systems Summit (UN FSS) that took place in September 2021. Among other things, it organized the 1st Global Food Systems Summit Dialogue as part of the ‘3rd global conference of the SFS Programme ’, and several of its members were chairing the UN FSS’s action tracks as well as the development of the multi-stakeholder action coalitions that came out of the UN FSS. Now, the SFS Programme aims to support the processes established by the UNFSS’s outcomes, including by making its tools readily available to coalitions and countries in support of the National Pathways for Food Systems Transformation, and by providing a space for co-creation and exchange among the different UN FSS coalitions, other relevant initiatives, National Convenors, and the wide range of actors that share the vision on sustainable food systems. The newly adopted UN Global SCP Strategy , foresees that the UN One Planet network and the broader ‘SCP community’ support the UNFSS follow-up process, including through the leadership of the SFS Programme.

Rapid test your agrifood startup idea with our MVP Lab: lean validation, expert feedback and customer prototyping in under 8 weeks. Get expert guidance to create sustainable MVPs. Objectives Build validation and business skills: Equip participants with market validation, prototyping and financial modeling skills through a 8 week sprint, incorporating systems thinking to create sustainable, market fit ventures. Simplify investor readiness: Guide ventures to articulate a clear de risking process using our proprietary dashboard, meeting the due diligence standards of top tier agrifood investors. Connect to expertise and networks: Provide access to seasoned agrifood operators, VCs and regulatory experts to refine ventures and build strategic partnerships. Outcomes Developed skills in market segmentation, prototyping and financial modeling for robust business cases. Increased investor readiness, with 70%+ of participants securing LOIs, pilot contracts or investor pitch opportunities. Validated ventures with clear market fit reducing R&D burn and enabling faster market entry. Progression from unvalidated ideas to investment ready ventures within 90 days. Impacts Strengthened agrifood ventures with higher valuations and competitive positioning. Accelerated innovation in the agrifood sector through validated, scalable solutions. Economic growth through new ventures, job creation and industry advancements. Duration 8 Weeks (depends on maturity level): Structured as a cohort or 1:1 program with milestones: Weeks 1-3 (market segmentation and validation), Weeks 3-6(prototyping and testing), Weeks 6-8 (financial modeling and investor pitch preparation). Interested Profiles Pre-seed/seed agrifood startups: Founders with technical breakthroughs needing commercial validation to secure funding. Corporate innovation hubs: R&D teams tasked with validating internal ventures but lacking market or business model expertise. Research institutions: University technology transfer offices aiming to spin out commercially viable agrifood technologies but needing investor ready strategies. Program Components 8 week validation sprint: Structured workshops on market segmentation, value proposition design, rapid prototyping and systems thinking to build sustainable ventures. Proprietary de risking dashboard: A tool to track and quantify technology, market and financial risks, supported by our proprietary agrifood dataset for benchmarking. Expert in residence mentorship: Direct guidance from agrifood operators, VCs and regulatory experts to refine strategies and build networks. Investor pitch preparation: Tailored support to craft compelling pitches and meet investor due diligence requirements. MVP Lab

Embed circular agility at scale: 12–16‑week transformation roadmap using systems modeling, leadership coaching and value mapping. Build sustainable, innovative solutions. Objectives Enable systemic decision making: Equip teams to integrate siloed data into strategic decisions using system dynamics modeling, identifying value chain risks and opportunities. Implement agile resilience: Deploy an agri adapted agile framework with circularity principles to balance innovation with the stability of long cycle agrifood operations. Drive cultural alignment: Overcome change fatigue through leadership coaching and coalition building, fostering a shared vision for sustainable transformation. Outcomes Unified decision making, with 80%+ of leadership teams reporting clarity on systemic risks and opportunities. Operational improvements, such as 10–20% gains in supply chain efficiency or innovation speed. High employee adoption of new processes, targeting 70%+ uptake within 6 months. Foundation for sustained resilience, enabling adaptation to market and technological shifts. Impacts Enhanced organizational resilience and competitiveness in the agrifood sector. Contribution to circular economy and sustainability goals, aligning with EU priorities like Green Deal. Economic benefits through optimized operations, innovation and job creation. Duration 12-16 Weeks: Diagnostics and system mapping (4 weeks), agile framework and management classes (6-8 weeks), leadership coaching and coalition building (4 weeks), tailored to organizational scale. Interested Profiles Mature agribusinesses/organizations: Large firms needing to innovate without disrupting stable operations. Food processors & manufacturers: Companies seeking resilient, circular supply chains to meet market demands. Large agricultural cooperatives: Organizations struggling to align diverse members for innovative change. Program Components System dynamics modeling workshops: Collaborative sessions to map value chains (soil to shelf), identifying leverage points for efficiency, resilience and circularity using proprietary tools. Management classes for transformation: 8 hands on classes (45-90 minutes) teaching practical tools (Value Stream Mapping, Just in Time, SROI) to optimize operations, reduce waste by 10–20% and align with systemic goals. Includes a leadership focused class to address change fatigue. Agri adapted agile framework: Customized agile processes integrating circularity and respecting agrifood constraints, enabling innovation without operational disruption. Leadership coaching & change coalition: Structured program to empower internal champions, align leader vision and foster a culture of sustainable change. Transformation roadmap development: Diagnostic phase to deliver a tailored strategy for long term resilience and agility. Transformation Blueprint

Explore Rural PM’s SROI Tour: Measure social impact in farm to fork systems with a comprehensive, broader perspective. SROI Tour Our Social Return on Investment (SROI) Tour is a unique program that brings SROI analysis into real world contexts through immersive travel experiences. Participants explore the socio economic, ecological and environmental aspects of the regions they visit, gaining deeper insights into social impact issues. The tour’s primary goal is to bring SROI analysis to life, raising awareness of environmental challenges and fostering greater consciousness. By engaging with local communities and ecosystems, we aim to mobilize stakeholders and interested parties to take tangible action towards circularity, creating lasting, positive change both locally and globally. Join for the next trip