Welcoming Robyn Cooper, VIVE Senior Manager of Regenerative Agriculture to the VIVE team!
Robyn Cooper is a rural development and sustainable food systems expert with over a decade of experience leading international, multi-stakeholder initiatives. She specializes in solving challenges at the intersection of climate, nature, and livelihoods, leveraging applied research and deep industry knowledge of global food sector value chains.
In her new role as Senior Manager of Regenerative Agriculture at VIVE, Robyn will bring exceptional expertise in designing sustainability frameworks and facilitating multi-stakeholder collaboration. Her ability to lead cross-sector initiatives will enhance VIVE’s efforts to support agricultural stakeholders in achieving measurable progress. Robyn’s strategic insight into regenerative agriculture, climate resilience, and sustainable food systems will strengthen VIVE’s programmes, ensuring alignment with environmental, social, and economic goals while amplifying global impact.
Robyn’s career includes significant experience in the sugar sector, where she developed and implemented innovative frameworks, such as the “Grower Influencing Dimensions,” during her tenure at Illovo Sugar Africa. Her work guided strategic decision-making and supported over 20,000 small-scale farmers across multiple African countries, fostering resilience through ecosystem and livelihoods-focused initiatives. This deep-rooted understanding of sugarcane agriculture provides Robyn with valuable expertise in managing complex systems and driving sustainable change.
Previously, Robyn served as ‘Crops Manager – Climate & Regenerative Agriculture’ at SAI Platform, where she led the Crops Working Group and supported over 130 member organizations, including Danone, PepsiCo, and Unilever, in achieving sustainability goals. In this role, she led the strategy and implementation for both the Regenerative Agiruclture Transition Support offering and the Climate Smart Agriculture work within SAI Platform. She also co-authored key frameworks such as the Regenerating Together Framework v1.1, driving sector-wide alignment on regenerative agriculture and climate-smart solutions.
Robyn holds an MA in Globalisation, Business, and Development (Distinction) from the Institute of Development Studies and a BA Hons in Natural Sciences (Plant Sciences) from the University of Cambridge. Her work is defined by a passion for creating sustainable food systems and fostering global collaboration.
Stay tuned for more updates!
