Cyprus
Panayiotis Louca is an environmental professional from Cyprus with a background in ecology and environment and development. But his interest in the environment started long before university.
Panayiotis is a second-generation farmer. His grandparents were the last generation in his family to work the land as their main occupation. By the time his parents’ generation came around, agriculture was no longer seen as a sustainable or attractive livelihood, and they moved into white-collar jobs in search of better opportunities. Growing up, Panayiotis saw this story repeated across Cyprus. People were leaving their land behind in search of more secure opportunities, while food production was becoming increasingly industrialised and disconnected from the communities that produced it.
For someone who would go on to study ecology and the environment, this was difficult to reconcile. His academic background gave him the scientific understanding of environmental challenges, while his family history gave him a personal perspective on what those challenges mean for people who depend on the land.
Climate change is making farming increasingly difficult, particularly for smallholder farmers facing water scarcity, changing weather patterns and declining soil health. But for Panayiotis, the challenge is also about fairness within our food systems. Smallholder farmers often carry many of the risks of food production while receiving only a limited share of the value generated along the food chain. As agriculture becomes increasingly focused on mass production, smaller farmers can struggle to compete, making it harder for younger generations to see farming as a viable future. Rather than accepting this as inevitable, Panayiotis wants to help change the story.
Through his work with the Cyprus Environment Foundation (CEF), he focuses on community engagement and regenerative agriculture, helping farmers explore practices that can make their farms more resilient while creating opportunities for agriculture to remain a viable livelihood. For him, regenerative agriculture is therefore about more than farming techniques.
It is about creating the conditions for people to continue caring for and making a living from the land.
This philosophy is also central to his work through the Sublime SDGs project, which focuses on empowering women and marginalised groups to take action on climate change and the circular economy. Together with CEF and PlanBe, Panayiotis is developing a series of free, women-led regenerative agriculture seminars in three rural farming communities: Stroumbi in Paphos, Kyperounta in Limassol and Spilia in Nicosia.
Farmers will learn from female scientists and practitioners about practical approaches to climate-resilient farming, including water management, regenerative soil practices and composting. The project will also produce a free introductory guide to regenerative agriculture, making this knowledge accessible beyond the seminars.
The focus on women is an important part of the project, creating opportunities for female scientists to take visible leadership roles in rural climate action and ensuring that different voices are represented in the transition towards more sustainable agriculture.
For Panayiotis, climate action has to be inclusive if it is going to be lasting. His participation in the Community Leaders Training in Gozo, Malta, as part of the Sublime SDGs project, strengthened this belief. Spending a week alongside changemakers from across Europe gave him the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn how others are approaching climate change, women’s empowerment and inclusion within their communities.
One of his biggest takeaways was that there is no single pathway to climate action. Solutions need to respond to the people and places they are designed for, and meaningful change begins with listening to communities and giving people the opportunity to lead. The training also provided an opportunity to explore new ways of communicating environmental work. Learning from Impact Hub Athens about climate action through a female lens and how to share stories of change reminded Panayiotis that environmental projects are ultimately about people, not just statistics and targets.
“My aim is to help create a future where people do not have to choose between making a living and caring for the environment.”
From his grandparents working the fields, to his parents leaving agriculture behind, to his own journey into environmental work, Panayiotis sees his story as coming full circle. As a Sublime SDGs Ambassador, he hopes to contribute to a future where farming can once again be seen not simply as a declining occupation, but as an opportunity to build resilient communities, protect the environment and create meaningful livelihoods.
For Panayiotis, climate action is about empowering the people who care for the places we all depend on.