We talk a lot about transforming our food systems. But almost no one talks about transforming the people who shape them. At first glance, farming and inner development seem worlds apart. Farming is physical, practical, rooted in soil and seasons. Inner development is mental and emotional, rooted in awareness and mindsets. Yet the irony is this: our food system will not regenerate unless the people within it do. And here’s the uncomfortable truth: we will not fix food security or soil health through techniques alone. We need different farmers AND different leaders shaping the system around them. As a farmer myself, I realised that food systems are not purely agricultural problems. They are human systems and human systems behave according to the mindsets, fears, blind spots, and values of the people inside them. This is why complex challenges (“wicked problems”) overwhelm us. We respond with roadmaps, committees, think tanks, five-year plans. These feel productive, but they often tackle symptoms rather than root causes. The cycle continues at every new government mandate or annual budget exercise. So what’s the real bottleneck? Not a lack of knowledge. Not a lack of technology. Not even a lack of land (at least not in my country Mauritius). The bottleneck, I believe, is inner capacity: - the courage to rethink entrenched models - the humility to learn from nature rather than dominate it - the empathy to consider farmers, consumers and ecosystems together - the systems thinking required to see beyond silos - the resilience to stay committed when results take seasons, not quarters. If we want to move from extractive farming to conscious land stewardship, we need to cultivate not just soil health, but human capacity: farmers who think regeneratively, policymakers who understand complexity, consumers who see value beyond price, and leaders who prioritise long-term resilience over short-term optics. The land can regenerate. The question is: can we? And how do we go about it? These last questions have been a lot on my mind lately and honestly, I am not sure I have the answer(s). For now I am mostly trying to get there by seeking partnerships (together we're stronger, right?) and consistently move conversations back to the real bottle necks stated above. Maybe that is the answer: consistency and persistence.

Hi everyone, I’m Amy from Toronto, Canada. I discovered IDG while building my leadership practice on inner + outer integration at the start of 2025. I was truly grateful to find a community that seemed to finally understand what drives me and why I’m so passionate about inner development. I come from a background in corporate talent management and leadership development. While I enjoyed those roles, I often felt a missing piece in delivering real, lasting value to people. That curiosity led me to explore how I could contribute in a bigger, more meaningful way, taking a leap of faith and courage. I look forward to connecting with all of you and learning from this space. -Amy