Levers for Change

To begin, we are using the word “Lever” to mean a key area of focus where investors and philanthropists can leverage their resources to spur transformational action to increase adoption of regenerative agriculture.

A lever is a big category of work - an envelope that contains a diverse array of strategies and associated specific actions. So, for example, if Policy is the lever, Municipal Action might be one of the strategies used to pull that lever, and local composting facilities would be an associated specific action.

When we talk about “Strategic Initiatives,” we mean actual pathways for using group exploration, philanthropy, investment, and other forms of action to achieve specific outcomes over a specific period of time using one or more levers for change.

We aim for the list below to include all of the big categories of work that will help us scale the field of regenerative agriculture in the next five years, but fully expect that FORA may ultimately choose to prioritize some over others.

Peer Learning and Trusted Technical Assistance Programs for Land Stewards

Peer learning programs and trusted land management technical assistance can help increase adoption of agricultural innovations because land stewards and farmers learn best from peers who have already demonstrated success. Moreover, farmers are experts and should be instrumental in designing training programs. Producers prefer farm-based knowledge sharing, trusted soil conservation experts and extension agents, and on-farm experimentation. By supporting innovative farmer and indigenous land-based networks and training programs in key geographies, we can demonstrate and communicate early success - a critical prerequisite to implementing policies, supply chain transformations, and financing.

Creation of Networks for Change

Network science shows that the quantity, quality, and diversity of a leader’s relationships predicts how effective they will be at making changes. As such, rapid change in agricultural systems depends on networks of diverse and innovative groups and leaders working collaboratively with trust, respect, and shared visions. This requires investment in leaders, retreats and conferences, and in hubs or nodes populated by highly capable, small teams of people whose role is to support the larger field of work. We need new leadership networks, comprised of women, minority communities, and indigenous communities, to lift up voices that can help us address systemic racism and environmental justice in the context of our agricultural and land-based systems. We also need investment in already-established networks that are actively and effectively moving regenerative agriculture forward.

Policy Change and Advancement

We need to rapidly experiment with and evaluate policy tools to help governments have the evidence they need to implement ambitious new actions for climate mitigation, adaptation, rural economic development, habitat protection, water, and food security. We also need continuing evaluation of existing policies that present barriers to the adoption of regenerative agriculture (i.e., current crop insurance and agricultural subsidies), including policies that create fragmentation of support and oversight systems. We need an overarching policy framework – municipal, state, tribal, and federal – for food and agriculture that is based on our values and streamlined for use by all land stewards.

Applied Research, Technology, Data, and Other Ways of Knowing

We must prioritize applied research, technology, data, and other ways of knowing that will lead to actual results in terms of changed practices, enabling regenerative agriculture to become the norm as fast as possible.

Supporting Applied Research

We need a systems approach to new research agendas (i.e., linking farmers, soil experts, social scientists, economists, and participatory farming networks) and to gather data and share evidence. We need to quantify ecosystem services and economic benefits of scaling up, while transferring lessons learned across geographies. We also need support for innovative individuals and anchor institutions (like Chico State University and Savanna Institute) that are already supporting interdisciplinary research and serving as centers of excellence and innovation by pushing the boundaries of what academia has historically allowed. We must not shy away from hard questions about soil carbon cycling or other challenges that need our attention.

Creating New Technology

We need research into new technology (e.g., the Quick Carbon toolkit) and synergies between technologies (e.g., OpenTEAM) that will help advance regenerative agriculture.

The Need for Data

We need meta-analyses and aggregation of the research and data that already exists, with a consideration for what is missing in the academic research. We need open source platforms for aggregating data.

Including Other Ways of Knowing

We need to be inclusive of “other ways of knowing,” including community-based and participatory farmer-led research models.

Photo Credits

Banner: Sheep in Vineyard by Alicia Arcidiacono | Eggs by Kendra Kimbirauskas