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Introducing the Regeneration International Standard (RIS)
by André Leu, Regeneration International Director
The Regeneration International Standard (RIS) is a new, farmer-centered certification framework. Developed collaboratively with farmers, scientists, certifiers, and civil society, the RIS provides a clear and accessible path for farmers—especially smallholders—to move beyond conventional agriculture and toward truly regenerative systems. Grounded in organic practices and built on shared values rather than proprietary branding, the RIS helps farmers, certifiers, and consumers distinguish real regeneration from greenwashing, and supports practical, measurable progress, without demanding perfection.
Explore further:
-Benefits of the RIS
-Launching Certification
-Guidance Document
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Carrying Regenerative Voices to Central Asia: Reflections from Uzbekistan
by Precious Phiri, African coordinator for Regeneration International
Last month, I had the privilege of representing Regeneration International at the Uzbek-German Expert Dialogue on Agroecology in Uzbekistan, alongside my dear friend and colleague André Leu, director of Regeneration International. It was an incredible experience to bring our global network’s voice to this important conversation on transitioning Uzbekistan’s agriculture toward sustainability and climate resilience.
For my part, I spoke about the importance of community-led approaches to natural resource management, and creating abundance-especially in seasonal rainfall regions like Zimbabwe. I also offered a reframing of the widespread mislabelling of “overgrazing,” highlighting it as “mismanaged grazing.” Sharing how, when livestock is holistically managed with local communities at the helm, land can heal, livelihoods can flourish, and dignity can be restored. I also joined a field visit to the Navoi region, where we explored the challenges of pasture degradation and salinization—and shared how holistic grazing practices have worked in Southern Africa.
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Vapor Pressure Deficits – Regenerating the Local Climate
by André Leu, Regeneration International Director
Great civilizations of the past, such as the Sumerian Empire, Egypt, the Roman Empire, the Khmer-Angkor Empire, and the Maya of the Yucatan, ultimately fell due to their agricultural practices depleting soil organic matter and natural vegetation. This depletion led to vapor pressure deficits, causing prolonged droughts, torrential flooding rains, forest fires, and crop failures.
These civilizations collapsed because they were unable to feed their people and armies.
In regions like North Africa and the Middle East, the once-fertile fields have never recovered from human-induced environmental degradation and, thousands of years later, still remain deserts. In contrast, areas such as the Khmer territories in Southeast Asia and the Mayan Yucatán Peninsula have been allowed to regenerate and restore their climate naturally.
Just as each civilization failed to learn from the lessons of those that came before and instead repeated destructive practices, we are now witnessing this happening on a much larger global scale.
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Plant Sentience Changes Everything
by André Leu, Regeneration International Director
I have always had a love and fascination for plants. I began growing them as a young boy at the start of grade school. I spent my childhood in the forest, learning the names of the plants and animals and understanding how they functioned as an ecosystem.
I was destined to be a farmer because growing plants is fundamental to our work. Now, in my 70s, I continue to farm because my passion for growing plants and raising animals remains strong, and I will never quit.
Two events profoundly influenced my approach to agriculture. In 1973, Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird published ” The Secret Life of Plants,” which confirmed what I had known as a child: plants are sentient beings that communicate.
The second event occurred when I attempted to develop a diet that did not involve killing any sentient beings. I was a vegetarian following Ahimsa, the path of non-violence. I worked out which plants I could grow without harming anything to produce food. I began preparing the seedbed to plant these crops when I realized I was killing weeds. Weeds are sentient beings and play essential roles in regenerating ecosystems.
The Secret Life of Plants sparked significant debate. It highlighted various experiments demonstrating plant sentience and showed that plants interact with a range of living entities, including humans.
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RI Attends the Biodynamic Agricultural Conference
At the beginning of the year, Regeneration International opened the Biodynamic Agricultural Conference in Dornach, Switzerland. Earth-workers gathered together from all across the globe, to bring regenerative solutions to our damaged food and farming systems. The conference poster “Our Earth, Our Future” shone out from the front of the hall. As the murmur died down, a single violin sounded Bach’s Chaconne. The annual conference of the Agricultural Section for the Whole Earth and one single musician captivating seven hundred people. The individual and life on Earth—a recurring theme throughout the opening festivities of the conference.
Ueli Hurter, joint-head of the Agriculture Section, stated: “The relationship between human beings and Earth is as old as human history. Modern times have distanced us from the Earth. We see it now from outside, as if it were just a thing. In return, however, we’ve gained individual freedom. And now we’re at a critical point: the Earth is crumbling under our very hands and feet. We’re called upon to reconnect with it; now out of our newborn freedom. It’s a commitment to the whole Earth. And that’s why we’ve invited our sister movements from the family of organic farming to this conference. From single farm conversion, we’re now looking at bigger steps; we’re going to hear about three projects, three programs that work with many farmers to shape the future, day by day. It’s about improving all the many small farms and improving nature.”
Read 'I Am the Future' by Wolfgang Held to learn more about the conference
The Latin American and Caribbean Symposium on Soil Carbon Research (LAC Soil Carbon) 2025
At the end of June, Regeneration International will attend the Latin American and Caribbean Soil Carbon Research Symposium. As a long standing member of the 4 per 1000 initiative, and having a seat as Vice-presidents of the initiative, we will participate in this meeting to raise awareness of the initiative and the soil carbon international research consortium recognise the essential role of agriculture for food security and food sovereignty, exchange experiences among Latin American and Caribbean countries on the role of soil in relation to climate and promote the importance of traditional practices and knowledge for regenerative soil management, ecosystem health and biodiversity.
Learn more about The Latin American and Caribbean Symposium on Soil Carbon Research (LAC Soil Carbon) 2025
The Fourth Regeneration International Certificate Course in Partnership with The South Seas University
by André Leu, Regeneration International Director
Regeneration International and South Seas University are offering a five-week online Certificate Course in Agroecological, Regenerative, and Organic Agriculture (AROA), starting July 7, 2025. This university-accredited program provides practical strategies to rejuvenate soil, ecosystems, and food systems. Led by Dr. André Leu—co-founder and International Director of Regeneration International, former president of IFOAM – Organics International, and an early pioneer in the regenerative agriculture movement—the course integrates agroecology, regenerative practices, and organic farming principles.
Dr. Leu brings over 50 years of experience in sustainable farming, having worked in more than 100 countries. He and his wife, Julia, manage an organic tropical fruit farm in Daintree, Australia. As an international lecturer, Dr. Leu has spoken at the United Nations and advises governments, industries, and NGOs on the benefits of regenerative organic agriculture. He is also the author of “Growing Life,” “Poisoning Our Children,” and “The Myths of Safe Pesticides”.
Each week delves into a specific theme:
Week 1: Maximizing Photosynthesis – Learn how enhancing photosynthesis can regenerate farming practices, the environment, and climate.s
Week 2: Ground Covers and Weed Management – Explore strategies to manage weeds effectively and sustainably
Week 3: Soil Health and Nutrition in Regenerative Organic Agriculture – Understand the principles of soil health and how to nourish it for optimal productivity.
Week 4: Using Functional Biodiversity to Manage Pests and Diseases – Discover how biodiversity can be harnessed to control pests and diseases naturally.
Week 5: Making It Happen – Applying the Knowledge – Learn how to implement regenerative practices effectively in real-world scenarios.
Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate from South Seas University, a recognized degree-granting institution committed to innovative and affordable education. Join a global community dedicated to sustainable agriculture and become a catalyst for positive change in your region.
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Native Colored Cotton Rescue Project in la Costa Chica of Oaxaca, Mexico
"Ñu’u Ndito (living Earth in Mixteco) is a group of 25 farmers from six municipios in the Costa Chica cultivating and conserving native colored cotton along with native corn and other food crops. In 2019 Ñu’u Ndito entered into collaboration with Dr. Ana Wegier, a molecular biologist at Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM) who detected GMO contamination in their seeds. An experimental greenhouse was constructed as a living seed bank of four distinct colors at Centro de Aprendizaje Rural en Tecnologías Apropiadas (CATA), a campus extension of the Universidad de Chapingo in the region where Ñu’u Ndito works. Here they are growing out the cotton plants that tested negative for GMOs at the UNAM laboratory in Mexico City. As of May 2025, 34,000 GMO-free seeds have been harvested from the greenhouse for distribution to the Ñu’u Ndito farmers."
Three days. Three episodes. One guest who’s here to tell it how it is.
"Our first-ever Regenerative Renegades podcast series is kicking off—featuring Alan Lewis, a Renegade voice in the food world who’s never been afraid to question the system, challenge the narrative, and call out the cracks in big ag. In this three-part series airing Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, we dig into the real story behind our food system—what’s broken, who benefits, and how regeneration changes everything."
International Study Reveals Glyphosate Weed Killers Cause Multiple Types of Cancer
"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is a global epidemic of noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs), which include heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. You cannot contract these diseases from others. The primary causes are environmental factors and lifestyle choices. This means we can prevent them by altering our habits, food choices, and farming practices; reducing industrial pollution; and avoiding environmental exposures and lifestyle factors that contribute to them. Pesticides and chemicals are strongly implicated in this global epidemic; however, researchers and health professionals largely overlook the extent of their role."
How Agroecology Is Quietly Formulating Food Ingredients of The Future
"ALTHOUGH formal advertisements might be spreading the impression that fast foods are taking over African food systems, social media channels are showing how future-oriented African food scientists and indigenous food formulators are quietly using agroecology ingredients to alter the global food landscape."
Racial Disparities in Exposure to Ag Pesticides Documented while Trump Administration Dismantles Programs
"A study in Birth Defects Research bolsters existing evidence that agricultural workers, and specifically Hispanic workers in California, are disproportionately bearing the burden of pesticide exposure. Caroline Cox, formerly of the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, and Jonathan K. London, PhD of the University of California, Davis, examine how currently-used agricultural pesticides unequally affect communities along racial and ethnic gradients. Ms. Cox is a member of Beyond Pesticides’ board."
34 Ways to Raise Nature-Loving Kids
"Kids can’t help but explore when they’re in natural areas. They climb on fallen logs, leap over tiny streams, and wander through tall grasses. Their imaginations are as activated as their senses. These kinds of experiences open new worlds to them. In Sharing Nature with Children, Joseph Cornell writes, ‘It is very helpful—almost essential—for people at first to have startling, captivating experiences in nature. This kind of first contact extinguishes for a moment the self-enclosing preoccupations and worries that keep us from feeling our identity with other expressions of life. From that release into expanded awareness and concern, love naturally follows. And memories of moments of love and expansion act as reminders of, and incentives to, a more sensitive way of living."
To Collect Native Seeds, Ugandan Botanists Are Climbing Forest Giants
"Walaita first learned high tree climbing for seed collection more than 25 years ago at a course organized by the Danish nonprofit DANIDA Forest Seed Center and has been honing his skills ever since. Over the years, he has trained a cadre of Ugandan botanists at Tooro, who can now safely collect seeds from even the most difficult trees, he says, improving their ability to propagate native species."
NOFA-NY Celebrates Victory in Legal Fight against Erase of Climate Resources for Farmers
"In a major win for climate-resilient agriculture, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY), along with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG), has secured a legal settlement compelling the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to restore critical climate-related content that had been unlawfully removed from its website."
How to Rewild Your Garden (Even if You Don’t Have One)
"Rewilding isn’t just for forests and farmland: Rewilding can be on a big or small scale, and you can do it even if you live in a city. It’s easy to customize, which makes it easy to slot into your life. Answer a few questions to find out how you can get started right away."
Chemicals in Food Are an Overlooked Threat to Public Health, Scientists Say
"A recent article published in Nature Medicine highlights the ubiquitous presence of synthetic chemicals in the global food supply and emphasizes the need to transition to a safer, more sustainable food system."
State Lawmakers From NYC Float Bill to Ban Dairy Farms From Expanding Beyond 700 Cows
"Two state lawmakers from New York City want to ban dairy farms from expanding beyond 700 cows, a move they say would help protect the environment and preserve small, family-owned dairy farms. On Thursday, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, and Senator Jabari Brisport, D-Brooklyn, introduced a bill that would bar the state Department of Environmental Conservation from issuing new Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation permits for large-scale dairies. A CAFO permit is required for any dairy with more than 300 cows, but the large-scale permit is required for any operation with more than 700 cows."
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Support Our Work
Dear Friends of Regeneration International
Regenerative Agriculture is under attack by agribusiness. The poison cartels such as Bayer/Monsanto and Syngenta, along with their captive government departments, are trying to hijack regenerative agriculture to greenwash their degenerative systems.
“We need your participation and support as we move forward in this world-changing campaign we call Regeneration International. We need to build a massive international alliance to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, to sequester billions of tons of excess atmospheric carbon in our soils and biota, to regenerate billions of acres of degraded ecosystems, to eliminate rural poverty, to reverse our deteriorating public health and to revitalize rural communities all over the globe. The hour is late, but we still have time to regenerate.”
Please support our campaign to stop this greenwashing and ensure Regenerative Agriculture’s integrity by restoring farmer’s independence, promoting social justice, fair trade and regenerating ecological health.
Can you give $10 monthly or a one time donation today to support Regeneration International and our campaigns?
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Upcoming Events |
In Person:
06/16 - Regenerative Viticulture Intensive
06/17 - Ganadería Regenerativa I (Regenerative Farming I)
06/21 - Farm Tour and Regenerative Agriculture 101 with Triple Lyoness Farm
06/25 - Regenerative Farming + Carbon Workshop
06/25 - The Latin American and Caribbean Symposium on Soil Carbon Research (LAC Soil Carbon) 2025
06/25 - Agriculture & Organic Farming
06/29 - Live Symposium Singapore
07/02 - Groundswell, The Regenerative Agriculture Festival 2025
Online:
07/16 - Webinar: The Role of Regenerative Agriculture in Enhancing the Food and Drink Sector
07/16 - Webinar: The Relevance of Regenerative Agriculture for Fresh Produce and Floral
07/29 - Webinar: Regenerative Agriculture with Dr. Ken Giller
*Click here to view full events calendar and submit your own
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Regeneration International is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, dedicated to building a global network of farmers, scientists, businesses, activists, educators, journalists, policymakers and consumers who will promote and put into practice regenerative agriculture and land-use practices that: provide abundant, nutritious food; revitalize local economies; regenerate soil fertility and water-retention capacity; nurture biodiversity; and restore climate stability by reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time drawing down excess atmospheric carbon and sequestering it in the soil.
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