Marek Wityk: “Farmers must be at the centre of the transition”
Discover how Lower Silesian farmer and advisor Marek Wityk is helping farmers explore regenerative agriculture through practical knowledge, field experience and peer learning.
For Marek Wityk, farming is both a family legacy and a testing ground for change. Based in Lower Silesia, Poland, he is the third generation of his family to farm the land, and for the past decade, he has been exploring regenerative agriculture in practice.
Today, Marek divides his time between running his own farm and advising other farmers through the Ground Up Foundation. He is an advisor on the Lower Silesia 360° and Future Harvest projects.
In this interview, Wityk shares his experience of regenerative agriculture, reflecting on the challenges farmers face, what motivates them to adopt new practices, and what he has learned from applying regenerative approaches on his own farm and through his advisory work.
From your experience as both a farmer and an advisor, what challenges are creating the greatest need for a different approach to farming?
From a farmer’s perspective, there is always something to manage: a problem in the field, financial pressure, weed infestations, drought, or too much water. Farmers are highly observant and often have important questions, but they do not always have someone to ask or turn to for support.
Regenerative agriculture gives farmers a set of tools. We focus on the farmer and the farm, then work out what fits that particular environment, business, and person. In my view, that ability to adapt to the farm and its surroundings is one of regenerative agriculture’s greatest strengths.
Which field demonstration has been most effective in changing farmers’ minds about regenerative agriculture in Lower Silesia 360º?
When I want to show a farmer how regenerative agriculture could work on their farm, I take them to the edge of the field. We dig up soil from an undisturbed area, where something is always growing, and compare it with soil from the cultivated field. Every farmer has an instinctive sense of good soil—its smell, texture, and structure. When they hold the two samples in their hands, they can see and feel the difference.
The slake test makes that contrast even more visible. We compare a stable sample from a field margin or a well-managed part of the field with soil from an area, perhaps a neighbouring field, that has been heavily tilled. Farmers can immediately see how differently the samples behave.
“Farmers rarely approach an advisor and openly describe a specific problem. They are looking for answers, but they are not always comfortable talking about what is going wrong. Programmes such as Lower Silesia 360º and Future Harvest give them a space to learn and share those challenges.”
What motivates farmers in Lower Silesia to try regenerative practices—and what do they need to see before they feel confident making changes?
Farmers who choose regenerative agriculture or join projects such as Lower Silesia are often people who have already recognised a problem and begun trying to solve it themselves. Something has shifted in their thinking.
We can help them become lighthouse farms: practical examples for others. Farmers are always watching their neighbours’ fields. When they see something working, they may not change immediately, but they will begin asking questions.
Farmers rarely approach an advisor and openly describe a specific problem. They are looking for answers, but they are not always comfortable talking about what is going wrong. Programmes such as Lower Silesia 360º and Future Harvest give them a space to learn and share those challenges.
How have EIT Food or Lower Silesia 360º supported you and the farmers you advise?
I am currently involved in two projects: Lower Silesia 360º and Future Harvest. Future Harvest has a special place in my heart because it focuses on smaller and younger farmers, while through Lower Silesia 360º I have brought several neighbouring farmers into the programme.
For me as an advisor, these projects are an opportunity to learn by being on farms, talking with farmers, understanding their challenges, and identifying ways to help.
For farmers, they provide a space to explore regenerative agriculture and see that it is not something alien or abstract - it is fundamentally good farming practice. It combines traditional farming knowledge with modern tools and a better understanding of soil, plants, and biological processes.
“You cannot be green if you are in the red. Change has to be economically realistic and happen step by step - even if it starts with just one field.”
What would make regenerative agriculture accessible and economically realistic for more Polish farmers?
Poland has many younger farmers and a large proportion of small farms. There is no single approach that works for everyone, so we need to bring together farmers who are already experimenting with regenerative practices and help their knowledge spread through practical examples.
Programmes also need to be simple, with clear benefits and without excessive data collection. As my mentor and fellow advisor at FiBL, Nicolas Lefèvre, says: “You cannot be green if you are in the red. Change has to be economically realistic and happen step by step - even if it starts with just one field."
If regenerative farming is to become mainstream, farmers must be at the centre of the transition.
“If farmers are thinking about the future - not only their own, but also that of their children or grandchildren - they need to consider change.”
Finally, what would you say to a farmer in Lower Silesia who is curious about regenerative agriculture but is still unsure whether it is right for their farm?
I recently sat on my porch with two farmer friends whom I wanted to encourage to join Lower Silesia 360º. I told them: “You have nothing to lose by participating. You will meet other farmers, learn about regenerative agriculture, and receive financial support for the time and effort involved in sharing your farm data. And I will be your advisor.”
At the same time, staying exactly where you are may carry greater risks in the long term. If farmers are thinking about the future - not only their own, but also that of their children or grandchildren - they need to consider change.
About EIT Food's Resilient Agriculture Portfolio
Resilient agriculture offers one of the greatest opportunities to help Europe address human and climate health, along with the financial well-being of farmers.
EIT Food works with farmers, agrifood businesses and consumers to expand regenerative practices and share knowledge and learnings across Europe, helping to build a wider community around regenerative farming.
Initiatives including Lower Silesia and Navarra 360º bring farmers like Alberto Alfaro and other actors together to take regenerative agriculture beyond individual farms. By connecting practical experience with wider collaboration across landscapes and value chains, these initiatives aim to support change across the broader food system.