This report, funded by the Agile Initiative, presents insights from a year of engagement with UK food system stakeholders and experts to unpick the ambiguity of Regenerative Agriculture (Regen Ag). It considers if, how, and to what extent Regen Ag could support the pursuit of local, national and international goals for the UK food system, and what policy interventions might facilitate this role and help to avoid the potential pitfalls associated with this contested concept.
Regen Ag has been put forward by many as a potential solution to different aspects of the current poly-crisis of climate change, biodiversity destruction, food insecurity, diet-related ill-health, and inequality which faces the UK and its food system. It is visible as a farmer-led movement in festival-style agricultural events and has been taken up by some supply chain firms as a focus for improving their impacts and image.
In this context, this study aims to help policymakers, citizens and other stakeholders to: