In the midst of climate change, health-conscious consumers, and lack of stability in conventional agriculture a need has been created within the agricultural sector for farming systems that are less extractive and include their environmental impact into their bottom line. In response, new forms of food production have arisen as innovative ways to mesh new technology with ancient concepts, and while a shift in focus to the broader impacts of our actions is a needed revelation, the emerging systems remain poorly defined.

When speaking of regenerative agriculture, for instance, there is a spectrum of ideology that clouds a united definition that would allow for forward movement towards regulatory action and better practices. On the one hand, some groups believe that regenerative agriculture must by default be organic, have more than 5 plant species and an active and diverse fauna that can easily pass through the farm to other regions. Alternatively, regenerative could be defined as processes that improve soil health and increase diversity above and below ground. That does not mean organic by default, and it does not put as many limitations on growers, nor does it limit food production per acre as access to airable land is inevitably a key piece to the global regenerative effort.

Defining and working towards agricultural systems that build health is key to stemming species loss and extinction, preventing loss of airable land, sequestering carbon, and improving human health. Any applied regulation needs to keep in mind the applicability and feasibility of transitioning an industry that has relied heavily on synthetic exogenous inputs and extractive practices. Taking a macro view of the situation, we don’t need 50 new food forests, we need a fundamental shift in standard operating procedure – and food forests don’t fit that bill for most producers.

At Terraforma we work with growers to help identify practices that damage ecosystems and reduce the long-term productivity of their land. We shift the focus, working within farmer’s existing framework to help implement practices that build soil health over time and that increase productivity and lower costs. Conventional agriculture can make a positive impact on the planet and on community health while maintaining or increasing yields. Making changes to established systems takes some work, but it is well worth it to regain autonomy and build for the future.