Trans-local Learning for Regenerative Agriculture
Regenerative agriculture offers solutions to climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and soil degradation by creating net positive impacts through alternative farming methods. This movement, which began in the USA with strong support from network organizations, is gaining traction in the Netherlands, for instance with the National Growth Fund program “Re-Ge-NL,” involving Utrecht University.
A collaboration between scholars from Utrecht University, the University of Colorado, and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana revealed that North American farmers are driven by relational values, such as improving the health of people, soils, and ecosystems. These values are often inspired by network organizations, motivating farmers to adopt regenerative practices.
Goal
This project aims to identify the success factors of North American organizations in mobilizing values for farm transformation, explore the potential for replicating these successes in the Netherlands, develop a Transformative Theory of Change for the global regenerative farming movement. The team will study key organizations in Colorado with a strong track record in regenerative agriculture.
Stakeholders
In the USA, key stakeholders include the University of Colorado, Savory Global Network, and MAD Agriculture. In the Netherlands, stakeholders include the Re-Ge-NL consortium, farmer organizations, the Ministry of Agriculture, and academic partners UU and WUR.