Regen10 initiates ambitious agenda to understand and harness potential of productive and regenerative food systems

• Decades of unsustainable practices and the impacts of climate change and conflict have led to a growing interest in regenerative food systems.
• A new global endeavour aims to rapidly improve our understanding of how regenerative approaches can deliver positive outcomes for climate, nature and people. 
• Regen10 will connect global food systems communities and explore ways in which regenerative approaches to food production can be expanded and accelerated.
• IKEA Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation announce support for Regen10 and join founding partners to invite widespread participation from food producers, Indigenous Peoples, business, academia, policy-makers and others.  

Thursday 10 November: Regen10 will set out today plans for a rapid and detailed process to gather and share evidence on the potential of regenerative food systems and connect those already using regenerative approaches, such as producers, communities and other landscape stewards, to realise their potential.

The effort was initiated at COP26 as an international collaboration to put farmers at the heart of food systems transformation so that by 2030, over 50% of the world’s food can be produced in a way that benefits people, nature and the climate.

Regen10 has now secured funding from The Rockefeller Foundation and IKEA Foundation to help further its work. Founding partners include the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Leaders Quest, Meridian Institute, Systemiq, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), who are all at COP27 to welcome anyone enthusiastic about this cause into the Regen 10 network.

Global food systems are under unprecedented strain. Decades of unsustainable practices focussed on producing cheap, plentiful food have led to soil degradation, water pollution, loss of nutrients, pollinators and biodiversity, in turn threatening productivity and farmer incomes.

Regenerative approaches have deep roots in Indigenous cultures and existing sustainable farming practices around the world, which nurture the land, support cultural and spiritual connections, and benefit future generations and the planet. Food producers, businesses, local communities, and civil society are increasingly embracing such approaches. But despite their increasing popularity, there is both a need for better data showing how these practices benefit the environment, culture, and livelihoods in local contexts and a need for deeper inclusion to partner with Indigenous Peoples and landscape stewards who practice these approaches

Regen10 invites food producers, Indigenous Peoples, and all other food systems actors to share their insights, expertise and experience. The information will be used to create a “Regenerative Outcomes Framework”, which will help build our understanding of the potential of regenerative approaches to deliver positive outcomes for climate, the environment and society, while also meeting global food production needs. It will also deliver a universal measurement framework for use by producers, communities, business, and scientists.

In addition to measurement, Regen10 offers a “Landscapes Hub” that will connect practitioners of regenerative approaches in order to share learnings and data, to access technical assistance and to unlock the financing needed to advance regenerative outcomes.

Regen10’s approach will be guided by the principles of farmer centricity and deep inclusion, as well as science and evidence-based solutions. Regen10 acknowledges the vital role and experience of food producers, the deep knowledge and cultural practices of Indigenous Peoples, and the need to engage widely with businesses, financial entities, civil society, governments, research institutes and others to accelerate a shift from extractive to regenerative approaches.

All interested individuals, organizations and initiatives are invited to join the collaborative effort by registering their interest at www.regen10.org. This includes those who would like to participate in consultations around the development of a Regenerative Outcomes Framework and connect existing landscape-level initiatives.

Melissa Pinfield, Head of Regen10’s Global Hub, said: “Our food systems face unprecedented strain, leading to a growing interest in regenerative approaches that deliver positive outcomes for people, nature and the climate. It is vital that efforts to accelerate a shift to regenerative approaches are grounded in the lived experience and knowledge of food producers – including family farmers and Indigenous Peoples around the world who have been practicing such approaches for generations. We are really excited to be partnering with IKEA Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation to further this work.”

Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation, said: “Deep changes to production and consumption are needed to create food systems that are fair, resilient and equitable – for people and the planet. We’re excited to support Regen10 to unlock the potential of regenerative approaches, building on the existing knowledge of food producers – including family farmers and Indigenous Peoples. Together we can move towards practices that help farmers improve their livelihoods and ensure a liveable planet for generations to come.”

Roy Steiner, Senior Vice President of The Rockefeller Foundation, said: “To overcome the triple food, climate, and financial crises we confront, we must rewire our food systems to become nourishing, regenerative and equitable. Available data shows tremendous promise in regenerative production systems to rebuild soil, empower farmers, heal communities, and enable both planet and people to thrive. Regen 10 will deepen the evidence and support the practitioners, communities, scientists and business ready to take this journey.”

Arnold Puech d’Alissac, President of the World Farmers’ Organisation, said: “Regenerative food systems must put farmers at their very heart, proving that practices are not only generating a positive impact on nature but also contributing to the livelihoods of the farmers and their families. WFO is excited to be part of this effort, with the will to listen to the farmers, gathering their needs and expectations and co-building with the other partners a real farmer-centric outcomes framework for regenerative food systems.”

Morgan Gillespy, Executive Director, Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), said: “Agriculture is the largest global source of ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, the greatest water user and a key driver of climate change. Significant changes to the way the world produces food are needed urgently whilst ensuring global demand is met. There is increasing interest in how regenerative agriculture can address these issues. However, a lack of data and standardized framework makes it challenging to develop and assess farm management solutions that positively impact at farm, landscape and global level. Regen10 seeks to address this by aligning stakeholders around an outcomes-based framework, built on the needs of food producers, to identify the right approaches for local contexts. It aims to ensure that scalable solutions have positive global impacts for people, nature, and climate.”

Diane Holdorf, Executive Vice President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), said: "Transforming our food system to deliver healthy, safe and nutritious food for all will be key to achieve the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. One of the biggest challenges currently is the lack of common, agreed metrics. Regen10 will develop a common understanding around farmer-centric definitions and outcomes for regenerative food. WBCSD is excited to work with our Regen10 partners to define metrics and actions which will scale regenerative food production globally within this decade."

Chris Buss, Director at International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Centre for Economy and Finance, said: “With farmer centricity at its heart, REGEN10 will accelerate the knowledge and understanding of regenerative approaches, whilst having an ambition to shift the level of finance needed in landscapes to transform agricultural production systems. Working with key actors and decision makers in agricultural supply chains, the application of regenerative approaches as climate actions should be done in ways that secure livelihoods of smallholders, women and other vulnerable groups as well as the multiple other benefits that ecosystems provide in land use systems. IUCN is delighted to work with the broad range of partners in REGEN10 to achieve its aim of accelerating regenerative approaches whilst ensuring social and environmental integrity of natural systems both on and off farm.”