The IRAI will help create agriculture and food systems that are resilient to climate change, improve soil and water quality, support healthy communities, and enhance food security.

“The aim of regenerative agriculture is to advance the triple bottom line in agriculture — productivity, profitability, and environmental health — in a way that enhances food security, reinvigorates rural and urban communities, and restores the natural systems that life depends on,” says Adam Davis, Head of the Department of Crop Sciences at Illinois and lead investigator on the Fresh Taste grant.

Regenerative agriculture distinguishes itself from, and yet encompasses, other conventional and sustainable approaches, such as organic production and no-till. Rather than dictating specific on-farm practices, regenerative agriculture is laser-focused on metrics and outcomes.

“Regenerative agriculture is about moving the needle, offering an opportunity for practitioners to measure progress from wherever they’re starting out. Rather than excluding people for using certain practices, we’re pitching a big tent, focusing on whatever it takes to get to greater biodiversity, soil quality, resilience, and equity in human communities,” he says.