Regenerative Food Systems

Our Perspective

The vast scale of our food system means it can be one of the greatest levers for positive change. 

Food production has altered our planet more than any other human activity. It accounts for one-third of greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of all freshwater usage; it is perhaps the single greatest cause of biodiversity loss. But it also provides livelihoods for more than a third of the world’s population. The next decade will be critical to making a global shift to producing food in ways that restore nature and support thriving communities.

A regenerative food system takes us beyond mere sustainability toward positive growth that benefits our planet and the billions of farmers, fishers, ranchers and others who work to provide our food—without sacrificing the health and dignity of rural people and communities of color. 

By developing smart strategies in partnership with producers, we do more than make farms and fisheries more productive; we restore habitats, protect clean drinking water, increase biodiversity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions all while securing the food supply for a rapidly growing population.

A truly regenerative approach marries long-held wisdom with system-wide change. 

Black, Indigenous and other communities of color have led the way on regenerative food production for millenia, developing ways of growing food in harmony with the natural environment. Their deep knowledge of the land and water they work can guide our shift to a regenerative system on a global scale, but the burden of change cannot fall to them alone.

Governments, corporations and NGOs like The Nature Conservancy need to make major investments and facilitate system-wide structural change. We can start by redirecting the $500 billion governments spend annually on the most harmful agricultural subsidies toward regenerative practices; shifting markets to recognize sustainable practices; leveraging technological innovation; and making direct investments to support resource-poor producers in making the transition.

How can producers serve a growing population of consumers even as the very foundation of a productive food system—healthy lands and clean water—are disappearing at alarming rates?

Food demand is expected to increase by 50% —and protein demand by more than 70%—before we reach 2050. We are at a pivotal moment in history: there has never been a more important time to make changes across the food producing sectors. Transitioning to nature-positive production practices will allow producers to ramp up food supplies while generating long-term returns for themselves and the planet.

With more than half of Earth’s habitable lands currently used for agriculture, farmers and ranchers are some of the most important stewards of the world’s lands and water resources.

We can restore the health of our ocean and inland waters and protect sensitive species and habitats by transforming the way we interact with our ocean, lakes and rivers.

Our food system is an orchestra of life in which all players depend on each other.

The challenge of the next decade will be to catalyze a massive global shift to food systems that go beyond sustainable to regenerative, working in partnership with nature to drive changes that restore the health and function of entire foodscapes—and the planet. Together we can grow positive.

Foodscapes

A Bridge Toward Food System Transition

Understanding the diversity that underpins our global food systems is crucial if we are going to change it—and change is needed. But global transformation starts with local change. The foodscapes concept and underpinning science detailed in the new report, Foodscapes: Toward Food System Transition, can help build bridges between global ambition and local implementation. 

The Nature Conservancy, together with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and SYSTEMIQ, introduces the first analysis, classification and mapping of the world’s foodscapes. This spatially explicit approach enables new ways of envisioning, managing and implementing the transitions that are, and will continue to be, necessary for the full-scale transformation of our global food systems. Download the report >

Event

Farmers & Foodscapes: Listening to Farmers as we Transform Global Food Systems

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Farmers’ Forum, India (Bharat Krishak Samaj) co-hosted a discussion to elevate one of the most important, and unfortunately most often overlooked, voices in the food system: farmers. The farmer-first session included farmer perspectives from Argentina, Kenya, Mexico and the U.S. Leading food systems actors then reacted to the farmer lessons and discussed the pivot toward implementing a global food system transformation for the betterment of people and the planet.

The session also marked the official launch of TNC’s flagship science report, Foodscapes: Toward Food System Transition. This spatially explicit approach enables new ways of envisioning, managing and implementing the transitions that are, and will continue to be, necessary for the full-scale transformation of our global food systems.

The event is also available to view in Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin.