Grounded

Thekla Teunis and Gijs Boers

Activities:Accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture

Founder:Thekla Teunis & Gijs Boers

Launched:2016

Location:South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia & Uganda

Author Nadine Maarhuis Photographer Gabriela Hengeveld & Grounded Published 29 January 2025 Read time 7 minutes
Thekla Teunis Gijs Boers Grounded

Introductie

Around the world, our soils are under immense pressure. A third of all land is degraded, and every year, 12 million hectares of fertile farmland are lost due to destructive practices like monocultures and overgrazing. Through Grounded, Thekla Teunis and Gijs Boers demonstrate the viability of another model. “Regenerative agriculture can be profitable for farmers – even more profitable than conventional farming”, Thekla says. “We didn’t expect that at first.”

Thekla Teunis Gijs Boers Grounded Thekla Teunis and Gijs Boers, the founders of Grounded. Photographer: Gabriela Hengeveld

Whilst Thekla Teunis was working as a strategy consultant for big companies in 2010, focusing on land-use issues, she was struck by the amount of degradation that takes place due to the way we farm, and how much the current food chains are failing farmers. “Most of the value accumulates at the end of the chain, while African farmers growing tea or cacao only receive a fraction of the sales price”, she explains. “That’s when I realised: I’m calculating true prices and making spreadsheets, but nothing changes for those farmers. How could this be different?” 

During her search, Thekla discovers regenerative agriculture. “It’s a complete contrast to the conventional farming we’re used to, where everything revolves around control and extraction”, she notes. “But I also realised that farmers can only work regeneratively in the long run if their business case is strong enough.” This insight led Thekla to Commonland, an organisation that unites ecology and economy to achieve large-scale landscape restoration. “Through them, I connected with African farmers who wanted to restore their land but lacked a sustainable economic model. The idea was: Thekla is a strategy consultant, perhaps she can come up with a business case. That’s when I met Gijs Boers, and in 2016, together we launched Grounded, as a spin-off of Commonland.” 

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Regenerative agriculture is surprisingly feasible in these countries. Farmers are less entrenched in the old system and only need to adopt a few new practices
Grounded Regenerative spices in Tanzania. Photo by: Grounded

Together with thousands of farmers in South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda

Nowadays, through Grounded, Thekla and Gijs collaborate with thousands of farmers in South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda. Their goal: help improve both soil health and farmers’ economic position by facilitating the transition to regenerative land use. “Regenerative agriculture is surprisingly feasible in these countries”, according to Thekla. “Most farms are small – ranging from 0.25 to 6 hectares – and there has been minimal investment in chemical-intensive farming infrastructure. As a result, chemical inputs are both expensive and rarely used. This makes the shift to regenerative land use much easier. Farmers are less entrenched in the old system and only need to adopt a few new practices, like using compost”, she observes. 

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Farmers even begin to learn from their neighbours on their own, simply because they can see the effect
Grounded Thekla Teunis: "The more fertile the soil, the higher the yields and the better the quality of the crops." Photo by: Grounded
Grounded On their Regenerative Incubator Farm in Zambia, Grounded demonstrates the impact of regenerative agriculture in arid areas. Photo by: Grounded.

From 50 to 200 dollars per month

“Don’t get me wrong: the conditions for these farmers are incredibly complex”, Thekla continues. “They often lack irrigation, relying solely on rainfall. And because they haven’t added anything to their soil for years – neither synthetic fertilisers nor organic matter – the land’s productivity continues to decline.” As a result, the average income is around 50 dollars per month. However, through regenerative agriculture, earnings typically increase by 100 percent – doubling the farmer’s income. “In just a few years, most even reach 200 dollars per month, because the more fertile the soil, the higher the yields and the better the quality of the crops”, she explains. “It’s the difference between being able to send your children to school or not.” 

At first, most of the farmers that Grounded works with adopt a cautious approach. “And that’s understandable”, says Gijs, “since nearly all of them have participated in multiple NGO programs, usually with little success. But by focusing on the soil and teaching farmers how to improve their soil health themselves – using compost from local materials – they often see positive results with the first harvest.” This sparks enthusiasm and increases their willingness to experiment with other regenerative techniques, such as cover crops and crop rotation. Thekla adds: “Farmers even begin to learn from their neighbours on their own, simply because they can see the effect. In that sense, it’s truly transformative.”

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Regenerative products are in high demand – not necessarily because they’re regenerative, but because the quality is so much better
Grounded
The Langkloof in South Africa, where Grounded has established its Honeybush tea business. Photo by: Grounded

A market for regeneration

When Thekla and Gijs first launched Grounded, they thought they would need to convince their suppliers of the benefits of regenerative agriculture. “But because so many farmers in Africa are working with depleted soils, the quality of crops like black pepper and coffee often leaves much to be desired”, says Gijs. “As a result, our regenerative products are in high demand – not necessarily because they’re regenerative, but because the quality is so much better.”

In addition to working with external partners, Grounded also establishes processing businesses in the regions where it operates to transform regenerative crops into higher-quality products. “For example, in Zambia, we’ve started a vegetable business that exports dried chilies to the US, and in South Africa, we’ve set up a processing plant for Honeybush tea – a native tea similar to rooibos,” Thekla explains. “The idea behind these businesses is to reach a large number of farmers simultaneously. Because once you’ve secured the market, you can tell farmers: if you produce your crops regeneratively, we can offer you a better price.” Additionally, the farmers share in the profits of the businesses, and Grounded is currently exploring how to make the workers of their factories co-owners of the enterprises.

Grounded The processing factory for regenerative herbs in Tanzania. Photo by: Grounded
Grounded Farmers share in the profits of the processing factories that Grounded establishes. Photo by: Grounded

Grounded investment company

Another key component of Grounded is its investment fund, which enables Thekla and Gijs to help existing regenerative businesses expand their impact. “So far, we’ve invested in a spice company in Tanzania and a coffee business in Uganda. Over the next few years, we aim to add 20 to 30 more companies to our portfolio”, Gijs explains. Grounded plans to raise 40 million euros for this purpose. “Investors can join with a minimum of 100,000 euros, and we expect returns between 5 and 10 percent. Our initial investments are performing well, which gives us confidence”, he adds.

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Regenerative agriculture can be profitable for farmers: even more so than conventional farming
Thekla Teunis & Gijs Boers Grounded Gijs Boers and Thekla Teunis aim to invest 40 million in regeneration. Photographer: Gabriela Hengeveld

Balancing ecology and economy

“Regenerative agriculture can be profitable for farmers: even more so than conventional farming”, Thekla emphasises. “We didn’t expect that at first. But you really need to know what you’re doing. For instance, our honeybush tea had a great story, but initially it was undrinkable. We had to spend a year and a half working with a Taiwanese tea expert to get the quality right.”

“That’s the crux,” says Gijs. “You can produce a more sustainable and healthier product, but if the supply chain isn’t capable of turning it into a high-quality end product, it won’t be worthwhile. And without the right markets, investing in the soil won’t yield results either. Ecology and economy must align. Only then it becomes truly regenerative.”

Interested in learning more about the benefits of regenerative agriculture? Check out our interview with agro-ecology professor Pablo Tittonell.