Pope Francis Understood and Stood with the World’s Farmers

When Pope Francis passed away on Monday, farmers around the world lost a powerful advocate – a voice for food security, environmental stewardship, and the vital role of science and agricultural technology in feeding the planet.

I witnessed that passion firsthand, when I met him at the Vatican a year and a half ago.

I was part of a delegation of African farmers, and we brought him gifts – samples of the crops we grow, symbols of the work we do every day.

He thanked us and emphasized the essential nature of farming, especially in Africa, where the challenges are many and urgent.

Africa held a special place in his heart. He had visited ten countries across the continent. I invited him to return one day. He smiled, said he’d love to, but said that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to. Sadly, he never did.

The meeting in 2023 was a deeply meaningful l moment for me, not only as a Catholic who had farmed in Africa, but as a fellow Argentinian.

When he was Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, I was farming in the south of our country.

Years later, I began to farm in Africa—first in Sierra Leone, then in Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, and Malawi.

Today, I continue this mission through my work with Numen Bio, an organization dedicated to regenerative agriculture with active projects in Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. I collaborate closely with farmers who want to increase their yields, restore their soils, and build sustainable livelihoods. These countries hold immense agricultural potential—and I’m committed to helping unlock it.

My core belief is that the future of farming lies in regenerative agriculture: a way of working the land that not only reduces environmental harm but actively heals the ecosystems we depend on. It rebuilds soil health, captures carbon, enhances biodiversity, and improves water quality and efficiency.

In practical terms, it means higher yields, better jobs, stronger communities—and a renewed sense of purpose for rural youth. In countries like those I work in, this is crucial: the agricultural sector urgently needs to attract and retain young talent. Regeneration is doing just that.

I’ve seen it happen. In Tormabum, a village in Sierra Leone. I worked with farmers who had long relied on slash-and-burn techniques—destructive, inefficient, and deeply discouraging for the next generation.

By introducing no-till practices and appropriate technologies adapted from Argentina’s experience, we helped transform that reality. Productivity has improved. Incomes are rising. And most importantly, young people are returning to the land—because they see a future in farming again.

I didn’t get to share all of this with Pope Francis. But when we met, I felt a profound sense of alignment. He understood what we were trying to do—and he supported it.

Since his passing, many have honored his commitment to the world’s most vulnerable. And they’re right. But he also understood something essential: that achieving food security in the 21st century demands science, technology, and a bold commitment to innovation.

The Catholic Church is sometimes mischaracterized as anti-science. In truth, the Vatican has long supported agricultural innovation—including genetically modified crops, which are widely used in Argentina but face skepticism in parts of Africa. Years ago, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences endorsed these crops, citing their “great potential to improve the lives of the poor.”

Pope Francis died the day after Easter. In the final chapter of the Gospel of John, the risen Jesus says to Peter: “Feed my sheep.”  It’s a metaphor, yes. But it also reminds us—quite literally—that tending to the sources of our food is sacred work.

Pope Francis understood that. And for me, as a farmer, that understanding will always be one of his greatest legacies.