Producing organic oats is only part of the challenge. The harder question is how to build a value chain that makes crop diversification economically viable for farmers. This video follows a Belgian initiative linking farmers from the Farm for Good network with processors and retailers to develop a locally sourced, 100 percent oat drink while supporting regenerative and organic farming practices.

For farmers, oats offer several agronomic advantages. The crop helps diversify and lengthen rotations, can interrupt disease cycles associated with other cereals, provides good soil cover and requires relatively limited fertilization. But these benefits matter little if farmers cannot sell the crop at a remunerative price. Farm for Good addresses this gap by coordinating production volumes, drying, sorting and the creation of homogeneous lots for processors, while also negotiating contracts with buyers.

The model is built around transparency and shared responsibility across the value chain. Farmers receive a price linked to production costs plus a viable margin, with payment made at harvest rather than after final sales. Additional profits generated by the value chain can then be redistributed among participating farmers. The video shows how cooperation between producers, processors and retailers can turn crop diversification into a commercially realistic option, while keeping value creation connected to farmer needs and locally rooted production.