Regenerative Agriculture

Farming with nature,
not against it

Regenerative agriculture places the health of the farming ecosystem at the centre of agricultural production.

Regenerative Agriculture
01

What is Regenerative Agriculture?

Farming with nature, not against it

Regenerative agriculture places the health of the farming ecosystem at the centre of agricultural production.

It brings together farming practices that can help restore soil functions, improve biodiversity, use water more efficiently, reduce unnecessary disturbance and strengthen the resilience of farms.

Rather than following a single fixed recipe, regenerative agriculture is context-specific. Practices need to be adapted to local soils, climate, crops, farming systems and farmer needs.

A simple way to understand it:
Healthy Soil → Healthy Crops → Resilient Farms → Healthy Food Systems
Regenerative Agriculture
02

Why Regenerative Agriculture?

Agriculture depends on healthy natural resources. Soil, water, biodiversity and climate all influence the productivity and resilience of farms.

Soil, in particular, is a living ecosystem. Soil organisms contribute to nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, soil structure, water regulation and other essential ecosystem functions.

At the same time, farmers face increasing pressures from:

Soil degradation
Water scarcity
Climate variability
Rising input costs
Loss of biodiversity
Pest and disease pressures
Market uncertainty

Regenerative approaches aim to address these challenges by working with ecological processes while keeping farmer livelihoods at the centre.

03

The Six Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

Six principles. One goal: healthier farming systems.
01

Minimise Soil Disturbance

Reduce unnecessary tillage and protect the structure and biological life of the soil.

02

Keep the Soil Covered

Crop residues, mulches and cover crops can protect soil from erosion, moisture loss and temperature extremes.

Soil cover is a fundamental conservation principle and notes that cover crops can help protect soil, recycle nutrients and improve soil structure.

03

Keep Living Roots in the Soil

Living roots support soil biological activity and help maintain continuous interaction between plants and soil organisms.

04

Increase Diversity

Crop rotation, intercropping, cover crops and diverse farming systems can support biodiversity and improve ecosystem functions.

05

Build Soil Organic Matter

Compost, crop residues, biomass and other organic resources can contribute to soil organic matter and nutrient cycling.

Soil organic carbon is closely linked to soil health and ecosystem functions, including productivity and water-related functions.

06

Integrate the Farm Ecosystem

Where appropriate, integrating crops, livestock, trees and other components can create more diverse and circular farming systems.

Regenerative Agriculture Information
04

Regenerative Practices

Regeneration happens through practice

There is no single regenerative practice. Farmers can combine different practices according to their local conditions.

🌾

Crop Rotation

Growing different crops in sequence can diversify nutrient demand, root systems and biological interactions.

🌱

Cover Cropping

Cover crops protect soil between main crops and can contribute biomass, nutrient cycling and biodiversity.

🌿

Intercropping

Growing two or more crops together can improve diversity and make better use of available resources.

🟤

Mulching

Organic residues or other appropriate mulch materials can protect the soil surface and help conserve moisture.

🚜

Minimum / Conservation Tillage

Reducing soil disturbance can help maintain soil structure and biological activity.

♻️

Compost & Organic Matter

Returning appropriate organic materials to the soil can support soil organic matter and nutrient cycling.

🦠

Bio-inputs

Biological products can be used as part of integrated nutrient and crop management strategies, according to crop and local conditions.

🐄

Integrated Livestock

Where suitable, livestock can contribute manure, biomass cycling and diversified farm income.

🌳

Agroforestry

Trees integrated with crops and/or livestock can contribute to biodiversity, microclimate regulation and diversified production.

05

Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Health

Healthy soil is more than soil that grows crops.

Soil is a living ecosystem containing diverse organisms that contribute to nutrient cycling, decomposition, soil structure and water-related processes.

Regenerative agriculture therefore pays attention to the physical, chemical and biological dimensions of soil health.

Physical

  • Soil structure
  • Infiltration
  • Water-holding capacity
  • Reduced erosion
  • Root development

Chemical

  • Nutrient availability
  • Soil organic carbon
  • pH
  • Nutrient cycling

Biological

  • Microbial activity
  • Earthworms and soil fauna
  • Organic matter decomposition
  • Biodiversity
06

Regenerative Agriculture & Water

Better soil can support better water management

Healthy soils can contribute to improved infiltration, water storage and nutrient cycling. Soil organic matter also influences soil structure and moisture-related properties.

Regenerative water management can include:

Keep soil covered → Reduce exposure and moisture loss
Build organic matter → Improve soil structure
Maintain roots → Support soil aggregation and biological activity
Reduce unnecessary disturbance → Protect soil structure
Use diverse crops → Develop varied root systems
07

Regenerative Agriculture & Biodiversity

Diversity creates resilience
Above Ground Biodiversity

Agricultural biodiversity includes the diversity of crops, livestock, soil organisms and other organisms associated with farming systems.

Biodiversity contributes to functions such as nutrient cycling, pest regulation, pollination and soil fertility.

Regenerative farms can encourage diversity through:

🌾 Crop rotations
🌱 Cover crops
🌿 Intercropping
🌳 Agroforestry
🐝 Pollinator habitats
🦠 Soil biodiversity
🐄 Integrated livestock
08

Regenerative Agriculture & Climate Resilience

Preparing farms for a changing climate

Regenerative approaches can help farms strengthen their capacity to cope with climate stresses by improving soil condition, water management, biodiversity and farm-system diversity.

Key areas include:

🌧️ Heavy rainfall Better infiltration & soil protection
☀️ Drought Better soil moisture management
🌡️ Heat Soil cover & diversified systems
🐛 Pest pressure Biodiversity & integrated management
🌾 Crop failure Diversification & risk management
Regeneration is not only about reducing environmental impact. It is also about making farms more resilient.
09

Regenerative Vegetable Oil Systems

From Regenerative Farms to Regenerative Vegetable Oil Systems

Vegetable oil value chains connect millions of farmers with processors, businesses and consumers.

NARVOS promotes a systems approach in which regeneration is considered across the value chain from farm practices and farmer institutions to aggregation, processing, markets and consumption.

Focus areas

🌱 Regenerative production

Better soil, water and biodiversity management

👩‍🌾 Farmer prosperity

Productivity, efficiency, resilience and income

🤝 Farmer institutions

FPOs, aggregation and collective action

🏭 Responsible processing

Efficient and sustainable value chains

📈 Markets

Demand for responsibly produced vegetable oils

🌍 Climate & environment

Resilient landscapes and improved resource management

10

Regenerative Oilseed Crops

🌱

Soybean

Building healthier soils and resilient soybean production
🌿

Mustard

Diversification, soil health and efficient resource use
🥜

Groundnut

Regenerative practices for productivity and soil resilience
🌻

Sunflower

Diversifying oilseed systems for resilient farming
🫘

Sesame

Responsible production, biodiversity and landscape-level approaches
Each crop page can eventually contain:
Crop → Challenges → Regenerative Practices → Farmer Stories → Evidence → Resources
11

Regenerative Agriculture & Farmer Prosperity

Regeneration must work for farmers

Environmental improvement and farmer prosperity need to go together.

A regenerative transition should consider:

Lower unnecessary costs
↓
Better resource efficiency
↓
Stable productivity
↓
Lower production risks
↓
Better market opportunities
↓
👩‍🌾 More resilient farmer livelihoods
However, outcomes vary by crop, location, starting conditions and management practices. Therefore, NARVOS should emphasise measuring results rather than making blanket claims.
12

How Do We Measure Regeneration?

Indicators:

🌱 Soil

  • Soil organic carbon
  • Soil organic matter
  • Soil structure
  • Soil biological activity
  • Nutrient status

💧 Water

  • Water-use efficiency
  • Infiltration
  • Soil moisture
  • Irrigation requirements

🌾 Farm

  • Productivity
  • Input use
  • Cost of cultivation
  • Crop diversity

🌍 Environment

  • Biodiversity
  • Soil erosion
  • Greenhouse gas emissions
  • Carbon-related indicators

👩‍🌾 Farmer

  • Net returns
  • Income
  • Risk
  • Adoption
  • Resilience
14

Myths & Facts

MYTH

“Regenerative agriculture is the same as organic farming.”

FACT

Regenerative agriculture and organic agriculture overlap in several practices, but they are not identical concepts. Regenerative agriculture is generally broader and focuses strongly on restoring ecosystem functions and outcomes. Organic agriculture follows defined production standards.

MYTH

“Regenerative agriculture means stopping all modern agricultural inputs.”

FACT

Regenerative agriculture is not necessarily defined by eliminating every external input. The focus is on improving the overall functioning, resilience and outcomes of the farming system.

MYTH

“Regenerative agriculture is only about soil.”

FACT

Soil is central, but regeneration can encompass water, biodiversity, climate resilience, farm economics and wider food systems.

15

Regenerative Agriculture Glossary

A
Agroforestry
B
Biodiversity
C
Cover Crops / Carbon
D
Diversification
I
Intercropping
M
Minimum Tillage / Mulching
O
Organic Matter
R
Regenerative Agriculture
S
Soil Health / Soil Organic Carbon
W
Water-use Efficiency