Why Regen?
Why Certified Regenerative?
The principles of regenerative agriculture are deeply rooted in Indigenous land stewardship practices. Today, there are many small-scale practitioners of regenerative agriculture who are not yet certified and we applaud their work. However, in order to uphold a rigorous standard for the 100 Million Acres campaign, we have elected to only count acres that are certified or verified*.
Our hope is that companies and brands that take the step toward certification can lead others toward true, transparent regenerative agriculture and away from “regenwashing.”
What is Regenerative Agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture is our oldest agriculture system and has been practiced around the world by Indigenous people for millennia to cultivate land and create more ecosystem carrying capacity and abundance. However, modern agriculture has proven to cause degradation over time while land is in production. Today, regenerative agriculture combines three interrelated pillars of information and implementation: indigenous knowledge, holistic management, and cutting-edge science.
Regenerative agriculture utilizes the six principles of regenerative agriculture to restore carbon, water, and nutrient cycles in order to enhance soil health, water, and air quality and improve biodiversity, resilience, and economic outcomes.
While these principles are universal for attaining the goals within this definition, they should not be confused with context-specific practices. Within regenerative agriculture, the most important principle is context, because no two farms are alike. From brittle environments to more wet ones, crops to livestock, the first year of planting to 6 generations on the land, context is key in each situation and a holistic framework is necessary to successfully regenerate the land.
Regenerative agriculture practices include but are not limited to the following: cover cropping, planned grazing, reduced/no-till, compost and other soil amendments, reduced/eliminated chemical usage, windbreaks, pollinator habitat, and tree planting/agroforestry.
Regenerative agriculture does not include practices that cause degeneration of the land such as heavy tilling, leaving bare ground, heavy chemicals usage, overgrazing or over rest, CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), no windbreaks, or mono-cropping.
Certification Criteria
Each regenerative certification and verification varies, but those listed here have been selected based on the following criteria:
- Building healthy soil as a primary goal;
- Requiring that more than one practice be implemented to improve the physical, chemical, and biological condition of the soil and minimize soil erosion;
- Producers are encouraged to minimize or completely eliminate chemical inputs;
- Farms are inspected and/or soil health outcome measurements are taken.
*All brands taking the pledge are required to work with an approved certifier or verifier to show that regeneration is happening within their supply chains.
See below for how regenerative agriculture compares to conventional agricultural practices!
| Agricultural Methods Matrix | 
Conventional Agriculture |
Organic
Agriculture |
Regenerative Agriculture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requires Soil Health Practices |  |
 |
|
| Environmental outcomes are measured | |
Not Required | |
| Requires Biodiversity Practices | |
Varies by Farm | |
| Requires No or Reduced Tillage | |
|
|
| Animal Welfare Standards | |
|
|
| Synthetic Chemical Usage | Heavy Usage | None Allowed | Phases out over time |
A Note About Organic
USDA Certified Organic agriculture is grounded in the principles of health, ecology, fairness, and care. In many ways, the heroic efforts of the organic movement over the past century laid the foundation for the modern regenerative movement.
Modern organic agriculture was developed in the early 20th century in the United States and Europe. In the American South, Dr. George Washington Carver researched, taught, and popularized many of the principles of modern organic farming during his tenure as a professor at Tuskegee University from 1896-1943 (including the use of legumes to fix nitrogen into the soil). In 1924 in Poland, Rudolf Steiner gave a series of lectures to a group of farmers concerned about the future of agriculture. These lectures formed the basis of “biodynamic” farming, which was later codified by the Demeter label. In 1942 in the United States, J.I. Rodale and the Rodale Press began publishing a periodical called Organic Farming, which popularized the idea of no-chemical, sustainable agriculture.
These early pioneers of organic agriculture understood the connection between the health of our soils and the health of people, animals, and the planet. By drawing on the wisdom of Indigenous techniques of sustainable agriculture, Carver, Steiner, Rodale and others inspired thousands of farmers around the world to produce food and fiber in ways more harmonious with nature.
In 1962 Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, which detailed the dangers of the widespread use of DDT on animals and the environment. The book became a clarion call for the modern environmental movement and inspired a new wave of farmers to transition away from chemical agriculture. 38 years later, efforts to protect and certify organic products led to the creation of the National Organic Program (NOP) in 2000. Since 2002, the USDA organic standards have set a benchmark for better farming, offering consumers healthier and more environmentally responsible food choices free of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically modified organisms.
According to USDA’s 2021 Organic Survey, there are approximately 4.9 million acres of Certified Organic farm and rangeland in the U.S., (though private accounting of organic acreage suggests it is closer to 7.7M in 2023).” But growth in organic acreage is slow, averaging about 80,000 acres a year–land under organic management grew from 4.1 million acres in 2011 to only 4.9 million acres in 2021. At this rate, it could take more than 50 years for USDA Certified Organic to reach 10% of total US agriculture.
Despite grossing $70 billion annually, the USDA Certified Organic market sector has had limited effects on transforming America’s industrial agriculture system. To reliably build soil health, reach America’s climate goals and create a healthier and more resilient food system, a significant portion of America’s crop and rangeland must be rapidly transitioned to regenerative agriculture.
Since 2020, USDA Certified Organic has received some criticism for straying from its roots. Organizations like the Center for Food Safety point to corporate influence as a factor of the dilution of the standards. Produce that is not grown in soil, including hydroponics, is now allowed to be USDA Organic. In addition, USDA itself estimates that millions of pounds of industrial, non-organic foodstuffs (including animal feed) are imported into the U.S. under the USDA Organic label. Finally, in spite of Rodale’s publication of No Till Organic Farming and the Institute’s development of the open source “roller crimper,” a device that can eliminate the need for tillage, heavy tilling has become a constant in many large scale organic operations. The effect? Tilling breaks up soil, destroys fungal networks, collapses soil structure, releases stored carbon and is detrimental to soil health.
We support the continuation of the USDA Organic Certification program and believe that it can be strengthened to safeguard soil health. Today, the best possible combination for regeneration and chemical free agriculture is a combination of both regenerative and organic principles and practices. Thus, 100 Million Acres recognizes the Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC), which was developed in conjunction with The Rodale Institute as a natural evolution of the USDA Organic standard.
While all acreage today under USDA Organic Agriculture may not receive the same soil health benefits, studies indicate that overall, organic farms still have superior soil health metrics to their chemical industrial counterparts. Despite a push toward consolidation, hydroponics and USDA’s issues with organic imports, there are still many organic farms that are improving soil. Therefore, the acreage under USDA Certified Organic is counted as part of 100 Million Acres, but all brands taking the pledge are required to work with a regenerative certifier or verifier to show that regeneration is happening within their supply chains.
