Embracing regenerative practices for a sustainable future

Guest blog by Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director, Strategic Development, CSA Group (Circular Economy Month Champion Partner)

According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, more than 30% of the world’s soils are moderately to highly degraded. Intensive farming, the use of machinery, fertilizers, and pesticides diminish soil health and lead to lower crop outcomes and food nutritional value, as well as increased vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. Regenerative agriculture, which rebuilds soil organic matter and restores soil and terrestrial biodiversity, is considered essential to achieving sustainability in farming and grazing and protecting land, water, and other resources. By encompassing many of the long-established practices of traditional Indigenous agriculture, regenerative agriculture is also a key pillar of circular agriculture, contributing to its goals of preventing, recovering, or repurposing waste, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems.

A new CSA Group research report, Advancing Regenerative Principles in Canadian Agriculture, explores the regenerative agriculture landscape in Canada and offers ideas on how to overcome barriers to its broader adoption.

What is regenerative agriculture?

While there is no universally accepted definition of regenerative agriculture, it is often described as a nature-based solution involving practices that help improve soil health, have lower or even net positive environmental and social impacts, and foster sustainable, healthy, and resilient food systems.

In terms of circularity, regenerative agriculture means optimizing the management of resources with fewer inputs and less waste. Many of the main regenerative agriculture principles address this directly, for example, minimizing and making efficient use of synthetic inputs and biological pest control, conserving and protecting water, keeping live plants and living roots in the soil, or incorporating animals.

Besides the main principles of regenerative agriculture, other broader, socially-oriented concepts have emerged as well, addressing community revitalization and health, social justice issues, and food system resilience, among others.

Adopting the methods of regenerative agriculture can bring a multitude of benefits, from improved soil health, water availability and quality, crop resilience, and biodiversity tonutritious food, productivity and profitability, ultimately leading to more productive farms and healthier communities and economies.

What hinders the implementation of regenerative agriculture?

With all the benefits and positive outcomes of regenerative agriculture, why is the adoption lagging?

This takes us back to the idea and challenge of defining what is meant by regenerative agriculture. The lack of a single accepted definition has led to uncertainty around what approaches and practices constitute regenerative agriculture, as well as what metrics can be used to evaluate and report on the positive outcomes of adopting such practices.

Without a definition, potential investors may hesitate to support or invest in these systems. The broad scope of regenerative agriculture also makes the necessary minimum requirements, factors, outcomes, and associated co-benefits unclear. As a result, many corporate and government actors prioritize regenerative practices with environmental outcomes without considering how policies and programs can address sustainable livelihoods and societal well-being.

Other key barriers relate to the transition period and costs: the shift to regenerative practices is neither quick nor simple. Technical and logistical challenges, knowledge barriers, as well as culturally entrenched production practices prevent many farmers from taking the leap. In addition, it may take multiple years for producers to achieve a consistent yield once they’ve shifted to regenerative practices, which is costly and, for many farmers, especially those who rent their land, presents a significant financial risk. Without access to learning opportunities, resources, and peer support, many feel uncertain of the outcomes and fear isolation from their communities.

Advancing regenerative agriculture in Canada

The new CSA Group research report puts forward ideas on how to support the broader adoption of regenerative agriculture practices in Canada and overcome existing barriers.

The report proposes a flexible regenerative agriculture framework leveraging well-established principles of continuous improvement and identifies specific areas where standards and guidelines can help provide clarity and consistency, and mobilize existing knowledge. This framework can help governments, researchers, and other interested parties understand how farmers might engage with a holistic management system like regenerative agriculture and identify the potential scope for developing standardized approaches to guidelines, measurement protocols, policies, knowledge resources, and other supports.

The study also identifies enabling conditions that can help advance a regenerative agri-food system in Canada, from knowledge sharing to innovative funding mechanisms to create an ecosystem that benefits farmers, value chains, and the broader society.

The CSA Group research report Advancing Regenerative Principles in Canadian Agriculture will be published soon. Sign up to get it in your inbox as soon as it is available.