At the Climate Conference in Dubai (COP28), two years ago, the international community adopted a historic declaration on agriculture and food, recognising food systems as a central lever in the fight against climate change. Simultaneously, the private sector committed to promoting regenerative agriculture by 2030 – on an area of 160 million hectares and with an investment volume of 2.2 billion US dollars. But what does 'regenerative agriculture' actually mean?
Regenerative agriculture is not a new approach. As the name suggests, it aims to regenerate soils and restore biodiversity. Regenerative agriculture shares many principles with agroecology, such as crop rotation and diversity, improvement of soil health, and avoidance of chemical inputs. However, the term is used differently by companies, NGOs, and institutions.
Coffee and Cocoa
Our publication attempts to shed light on how the different actors define this concept, what practices they apply, and how the implemented measures are to be evaluated. Together with partners from science, SWISSAID has particularly examined cocoa and coffee production in Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Uganda, as they hold a central place in the trade relations between the North and South as well as in the value chains of several Swiss companies.
We invite you to participate in this discussion on the challenges, opportunities, and limitations of regenerative agriculture, which will take place on Wednesday, 5 November 2025, from 12:15 to 1:30 PM, in the presence of:
· Prof. Heitor Mancini, Department of Soil Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa · Sonja Tschirren, Climate Change Thematic Leader, SWISSAID · Eve Fraser, Climate Policy Analyst, NewClimate Institute
Contacts:
Sonja Tschirren, Co-
author, Climate Change Thematic Leader, SWISSAID.
s.tschirren@swissaid.ch,
Tel.: 079 363 54 36
Delphine Neyaga, Head of Media, SWISSAID.
media@swissaid.ch,
Tel.: 076 582 76 66
SWISSAID www.swissaid.ch