Farming often conjures images of old-fashioned routines, but the RegenZ Farmfluencer Challenge is rewriting that story. Five Western Cape farmers are experimenting with regenerative techniques, sharing their journey online, and proving that modern farming can be dynamic, daring, and even sexy.
How the challenge works
Each farmer gets a quarter of a hectare, a regenerative soil health toolkit, and one shared goal: to grow 25 kilograms of string beans, regeneratively. But how they get there is up to them.
Their tools include RegenZ’s Beyond range of soil-building products, Biogrow products, hand tools, soil data, cover crop seed, technical mentorship, and access to a network of agronomic experts. The challenge is supported by RegenZ in collaboration with partners SoilScopes, Get Dirty, Dirt Road, AGT Cover Crops, Agrisol, and African Seed Group.
They’re now documenting every stage of their journey on social media, inviting the public to see what it really takes to grow nutrient-dense food the regenerative way.
Meet the 5 farmfluencers
Each farmfluencer brings a distinct story, a unique landscape, and a sense of pride and purpose to the challenge.
Jack Hanekom, the apple farmer branching out
Caledon
@jack_hanekom
For Jack Hanekom, farming usually means apples. But this season, he’s seeing what happens when he applies regenerative principles outside his comfort zone. Jack’s no stranger to precision and patience, qualities that serve him well as he experiments with a new crop and methods. Jack is the epitome of a young, enthusiastic South African farmer with generational experience but a modern farming outlook.
Brad Anderson, the steward farmer of Wellspring
Robertson
@wellspringfarmza
For Brad Anderson, regenerative agriculture is a calling. Together with his family and farming partners at Wellspring Farm, Brad has turned a once-derelict piece of land in the Agterkliphoogte Valley into a living, breathing ecosystem. Their mission is to heal the soil, grow nutrient-dense food, and create a space where people reconnect.
Brad shared a land preparation challenge in a recent update: “One of the big jobs in preparing for the beans was getting water to a field where we did not have irrigation before. Two aspects – overhead for germination and drip irrigation once beans come up. In our Western Cape summers, I feel like irrigation still takes up a lot of my time and headspace? What about for the rest of the farmers?”
Matt & Sofia Wagner, the ex-engineers
Stanford
@waboomfamilyfarm
When Matt and Sofia Wagner left their engineering careers behind, they were looking for a slower, more intentional way of life.
Today, on Waboom Family Farm in Stanford, three generations in the family are learning the language of the land and experimenting with regenerative techniques, composting, rotational grazing, and permaculture.
Damian Matthys, the blueberry grower breaking new ground
Saron : @damymatthyse
At Steinberg Blueberries in Saron, Damian Matthys is already known for producing some of the region’s sweetest fruit. But now, he’s turning his focus to beans and the bigger picture of soil regeneration.
Damian joined the challenge to push boundaries and test whether regenerative methods can improve yields and quality.
Haiko Ruther, the oil rig worker turned regenerative farmer
Langdam Guest Farm, Montagu
@langdam.guest.farm
From a city kid to oil rigs and then orchards, Haiko Ruther’s path to farming has been anything but typical. Now based at Langdam Guest Farm in the Koo Valley, Haiko is passionate about transforming underutilised land into productive, living systems.
Friendly competition with serious impact
While there’s an element of competition as the farmfluencers measure profitability, yield, nutrient density, and shelf life, the challenge is less about winning and more about learning. Each farmer is tracking data points like planting spacing, inputs used, water efficiency, and labour costs, all verified by buyers at harvest. Sharing this data publicly helps build a transparent, practical picture of how regenerative farming performs in real-world conditions.
“The beauty of this challenge is that it’s as much about community as it is about competition,” says Alex Platt from RegenZ, “These farmers are showing that innovation doesn’t only happen in labs or boardrooms – it happens in the soil, in conversation, and on social media.”
As the season unfolds, followers can watch each journey in real time, with the small wins, setbacks, and surprises that define real farming.
Follow the #FarmfluencerChallenge
Search #FarmfluencersChallenge or follow @regenandbeyond on Instagram and TikTok and watch as South Africa’s next generation of farmers turn soil health into social impact and make farming sexy again.
