Alica Parkes
Marketing Manager, Kisaco Research
With conventional farming failing to meet global demands, regenerative agriculture emerges as a holistic solution, revitalising ecosystems, boosting soil health and enhancing biodiversity and resilience across supply chains.
Embracing farmer-led, outcome-based approaches
A key shift needed in agriculture is moving from top-down directives to farmer-led, outcome-based approaches. Empowering farmers to make context-specific decisions is crucial for effective, sustainable practices. Focusing on outcomes like biomass productivity, soil health and efficiency, rather than rigid practices, enables farmers to adapt to local conditions and innovate effectively. This shift allows for greater flexibility and relevance, fostering practical and sustainable solutions across diverse agricultural contexts.
Building a strong business case for regenerative agriculture
There is a noticeable gap between the theoretical benefits of regenerative agriculture and actual market demand. Addressing this requires moving beyond rhetoric to actively create demand by sourcing and purchasing regenerative products. Developing robust business cases that demonstrate economic benefits — such as cost savings and enhanced resilience — is essential.
Aligning goals and incentives
among all stakeholders is crucial
to support the transition.
Overcoming scaling and measurement challenges
Scaling regenerative agriculture from pilot programmes to widespread application presents significant challenges. Key strategies include developing robust measurement systems to track progress and ensure credibility. Standardising metrics for soil health, biodiversity and resilience and harmonising data collection methods across the industry are critical. Accurate data collection is essential for credible reporting and effective scaling of practices, helping to prevent greenwashing and build trust.
Fostering collaboration and incentives across the value chain
Implementing regenerative agriculture successfully requires pre-competitive collaboration across the value chain — from farmers to processors to retailers. Aligning goals and incentives among all stakeholders is crucial to support the transition. Engaging various stakeholders to align objectives and pool resources enhances initiative effectiveness. Financial incentives and sustainability KPIs for leadership are effective means to encourage adoption and secure top-level commitment.
Securing financing and de-risking investments
Financial institutions play a critical role in supporting regenerative agriculture. Strategies like blended finance models and accurate risk pricing can reduce financial risk and attract investment. Combining public and private capital and developing methods for pricing transition risks are essential for facilitating access to funding and scaling regenerative practices.
