Regenerative agriculture is an approach to sustainable agriculture that supports ecosystem services and helps farming systems respond to environmental and economic challenges. By improving soil health, enhancing biodiversity, protecting water resources, and reducing reliance on external inputs, it strengthens agricultural productivity, long-term viability, and landscape sustainability.
With more than one billion hectares of agricultural land estimated to be degraded globally, regenerative agriculture is increasingly recognized as an opportunity to strengthen ecosystem resilience, improve farm performance, and address interconnected challenges such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and declining farm viability.
As interest in regenerative agriculture grows, one challenge remains: there is no single, common, and widely accepted definition or framework.
At Preferred by Nature, we understand regenerative agriculture as an approach that views farms and landscapes as interconnected systems. While soil health is a key foundation, long-term agricultural performance also depends on biodiversity, water, carbon sequestration, pollination, natural pest control, and the interactions between them.
Through a systems and landscape perspective, we support locally adapted solutions designed to deliver measurable environmental, social, and economic outcomes over time.
Aligned with FAO's interpretation of regenerative agriculture, we view regenerative agriculture as a holistic approach to farming that seeks to restore and enhance the health of soils, ecosystems, and farming communities while maintaining economically viable food production. It focuses on delivering positive environmental and social outcomes through locally appropriate agricultural practices. [fao.org]
Preferred by Nature brings more than 30 years of experience working with sustainable agriculture and forestry practices and their impact on ecosystem services. This expertise has been developed through our sustainability certification division, where we audit and certify against more than 15 sustainability standards and schemes related to responsible agriculture, forest management, climate, and land-use practices.
Building on this foundation, we began working on regenerative agriculture in 2018 through an advisory project with tomato farmers in southern Spain. Emerging from a vision of complementarity -strengthening and building upon the efforts of the organisations we collaborate with- this work has evolved into a dedicated focus area.
Today, we provide advisory services in regenerative agriculture across most European countries, as well as in the US, South Asia, and West Africa.
The Preferred by Nature Regenerative Agriculture Standard is the result of this evolution, developed through stakeholder engagement, field implementation, and our expertise in sustainable production systems. Following the public consultation process conducted in 2025, Regenerative Agriculture Standard v1.0 was finalised and published in early 2026.
It provides organisations with a science-based and outcome-oriented framework to measure performance, verify outcomes, and build transparency across value chains and landscapes. The framework is currently being applied through initial certification projects in Kenya, the Dominican Republic, and Sri Lanka, generating practical experience across diverse agricultural contexts.
Our regional expertise and areas of work enable locally adapted implementation, while our partnerships strengthen credibility, collaboration, and impact.
→ Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) | Preferred by Nature
→ Regenerative agriculture and why farmers should abandon the plough | Preferred by Nature
→ A regenerative farming revolution is coming to Italy | Preferred by Nature
To support the transition towards regenerative agriculture in a practical, credible, and scalable way, Preferred by Nature offers two distinct approaches: Advisory and Certification.
These are not competing solutions, but different pathways designed to address specific needs and objectives, depending on where organizations are in their regenerative agriculture journey.
→ Advisory supports organizations seeking to design, implement, and operationalize regenerative agriculture strategies and programs.
→ Certification supports organizations seeking an independent, science-based framework to assess, verify, and communicate progress and outcomes.
Organizations can choose the approach that best aligns with their objectives and stage of development.
Advisory:
→ Download the Regenerative Advisory infosheet to learn more
Certification:
→ The Regenerative Agriculture Standard to explore the principles, criteria, and requirements that underpin the framework.
→ The Regenerative Agriculture tool (simplified version) to explore the scoring methodology used.
→ Choose Advisory if you are looking for support to design, implement, or strengthen your regenerative agriculture strategy and activities.
→ Choose Certification if you are ready to independently assess, verify, and communicate your regenerative agriculture performance and outcomes.
The Preferred by Nature Regenerative Agriculture approach can be applied flexibly, depending on your role in the value chain:
The Preferred by Nature Regenerative Agriculture approach can be adapted to diverse production systems, commodities, and landscape contexts while maintaining a consistent approach to implementation, measurement, verification, and continuous improvement.
We connect global sustainability agendas and corporate trends with deep, localized expertise where it matters most. We operate across key global regions to ensure effective translation into local realities across Latin America, North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
→ Join our community and receive the latest insights and updates for the sector: newsletter
→ You can also visit our trainings and webinars page to explore the available options and find the best fit for your sustainability journey.
→ Additionally, we invite you to explore our Preferred by Nature Certification, to see how regenerative agriculture integrates with wider environmental and social requirements.
