Report on Regenerative Agriculture: Promises under Scrutiny

Regenerative agriculture is on everyone's lips. However, as the report by SWISSAID shows, there is still no clear definition of the term. Companies, governments, and NGOs have high hopes for this approach to improve soil quality, enhance biodiversity, and make agriculture more resilient to climate change. Regenerative agriculture originally shares many principles of agroecology, such as crop rotation and diversity, improving soil health, and refraining from using chemical aids. The new version of the approach is now also intended to help reduce and offset greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in Southern countries.

SWISSAID has published a report with international partners from the scientific community: "From Words to Action? How Regenerative Agriculture Contributes to Climate-Resilient Food Systems." The focus is on cocoa and coffee production in Côte d'Ivoire, Uganda, and Kenya – regions that are of central importance to Swiss companies. Through interviews with the companies and service providers involved, it is clarified which methods they apply under the term, and examined how the implementation looks in practice for these organizations.

The results show: regenerative agriculture can achieve a lot – if implemented correctly. Especially agroforestry, i.e., the combined cultivation of trees and crops, offers great potential. However, there is often a lack of clear definitions, transparent monitoring, and fair conditions for the farmers. Many projects rely solely on CO2 compensation without sufficiently considering other important aspects such as biodiversity, soil health, or social justice. "Fair prices per kg of coffee or cocoa for the farmers cannot simply be replaced with payments for carbon storage," warns Sonja Tschirren, co-author and climate change expert at SWISSAID.

Clear Definition Lacking

Sonja Tschirren criticizes that there is still no clear definition of the term "regenerative agriculture": "Especially when regenerative agriculture is used to reduce or offset greenhouse gas emissions, it is necessary to give the concept a clear, scientifically supported definition and to strengthen public oversight of the implementation." There is also a need to clarify how the approach differs from organic or agroecological approaches.

The challenges that need to be tackled regarding the climate crisis are enormous:

Two years ago, at the Climate Conference in Dubai (COP28), the international community adopted a historic declaration on agriculture and food, recognizing food systems as a central lever in the fight against climate change. Regenerative agriculture should be promoted with 2.2 billion USD.

Parallel to the publication of the report, SWISSAID organized a webinar on the topic. Participants included:

Prof. Heitor Mancini, Department of Soil Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil
Sonja Tschirren, climate change specialist, SWISSAID
Eve Fraser, climate policy analyst, NewClimate Institute
Marco De Boer, co-founder and CEO of reNature
Prof. Johanna Jacobi, assistant professor at the Department of Environmental System Sciences, ETH Zurich

Contact Persons:
Sonja Tschirren, co-author, climate change specialist, SWISSAID
Tel.: +41 (0)79 363 54 36, s.tschirren@swissaid.ch
Thaïs In der Smitten, media representative, SWISSAID
Tel: +41 (0)77 408 27 65, media@swissaid.ch
SWISSAID www.swissaid.ch

Editor's note: Image rights belong to the respective publisher.