Seeing beyond our backyards: the winners of SAN’s photo contest

SAN members work in more than 100 countries, dealing with innumerable crops in vastly different landscapes. This means we can do a lot, but also that our specialized teams can’t be everywhere. We came up with the idea of a photography contest to figure out what regenerative agriculture looks like from the eyes of locals in different corners of the world.

The exercise allowed us to de-center the view of the communications professionals in our teams and take it back to the land. In another show of radical collaboration as a living standard, our call was responded by 60 people in 24 countries, who proposed 121 submissions. Finalists were then chosen to fit the prerequisites established for the photos, and both the audience and our jury had some weeks to carefully consider them and vote. Judging was conducted blindly, without details of country, gender or nationality of the photographer.

The jury was composed by Alejandro Peña, multimedia professional working with our member organization Fundación Natura in Colombia, Mariechen Wust, professional photographer and educator from Costa Rica, and Rob Reeder, plant scientist at our member organization CABI, based in the UK and who is also a keen photographer.

Without further ado, we present the winners of the contest and their eye-opening work.  

Overall 1st Prize

"Floating Harvest", by Muhammad Amdad Hossain, from Bangladesh. 

"Floating Harvest" documents the centuries-old practice of floating agriculture in Nazirpur, Pirojpur, Bangladesh, where farmers cultivate vegetables on floating beds made from water hyacinth during prolonged flooding. This traditional technique transforms an invasive aquatic plant into fertile growing platforms, allowing communities to produce food without damaging the soil or relying on expensive external inputs.

“I believe this photograph reflects the importance of regenerative agriculture because it demonstrates how nature-based solutions and indigenous knowledge can help address some of humanity's greatest challenges, including climate change, food insecurity, biodiversity loss, and increasing floods”, explained Hossain. “Rather than fighting against nature, these farmers work with it—recycling natural materials, restoring ecological balance, and adapting to changing environmental conditions. As extreme weather becomes more frequent around the world, regenerative agricultural practices like floating farming offer practical, sustainable, and resilient models that can inspire communities far beyond Bangladesh. Through this image, I hope to show that traditional knowledge is not only part of our cultural heritage but also an essential part of building a more sustainable future.”

Agrobiodiversity Category

“Pollinators at Work: Life Within Regenerative Fields”, by Cesare Barillà, from Italy.

This photograph captures a honeybee collecting nectar from a lavender flower—an everyday scene that quietly reveals one of nature's most vital partnerships. Pollinators sustain the reproduction of countless wild plants and food crops, making them indispensable to both biodiversity and global food security.

“To me, this image represents the essence of regenerative agriculture. Healthy soils, diverse flowering habitats, and farming practices that work with nature rather than against it create the conditions that pollinators need to thrive. Protecting bees is not only about conserving a single species; it is about safeguarding the intricate web of life that supports our ecosystems and nourishes our communities”, reflects Barillà. “In the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing pressure on food systems, regenerative agriculture offers a path toward resilience. This photograph is a reminder that the future of farming depends on protecting even the smallest creatures, whose work sustains life on Earth every day”.

Landscapes Category

“Green Threads of the Sea: Regeneration in Practice", by Anthony Into, from The Philippines

A seaweed farmer tends rows of seaweed floating on the sea. Seaweed farming is an excellent example of regenerative agriculture in coastal communities. It requires no fertilizers or freshwater, and as the seaweed grows, it absorbs excess nutrients from the water, helping improve water quality while supporting healthier marine ecosystems.  

People & Livelihoods Category

"The Wetland Wonder", by Sudip Maiti, from India.

"The photo was taken near my home where water chestnuts are grown in a low-lying field where the monsoon rainwater is stored until the end of winter", explains Maiti. "Moti Bibi, a water chestnut farmer, plucks the produce from a wetland. Water chestnut production benefit fish production in the wetlands, purify water in stagnant water bodies, and prevent soil erosion using the plant's extensive root system. In an industrial agricultural setting, monocrop cultivation often leads to biodiversity loss, high pesticide uses and soil degradation which can be remedied by regenerative agriculture practices such as this." 

People's Choice Award

“Agroforestry: Nourishing Communities, Protecting Forests”, by Hetal Shah, from India.

Deep in the green forests, tribal communities are rediscovering the strength of nature through agroforestry. By growing fruit trees alongside crops, families are creating better livelihoods while protecting the land they have cared for for generations. The harvest in her hands is more than fruit —it is a symbol of income, food security, and hope for a sustainable future. Agroforestry is helping tribal farmers live in harmony with nature. Labani, of the Khaliapali village, is an example of this.