Regenerative Agriculture, in Plain Terms – and Why It Matters
- Jun 23
- 4 min read
By Dr. Abbey Wick, Syngenta Soil Health Academy Group Leader (June 23, 2026)
If you’ve heard the term “regenerative agriculture” lately and felt unsure what it means, you’re not alone. It’s talked about in a lot of different, and sometimes confusing, ways. Not to mention that some of the loudest voices on this topic are celebrities and filmmakers, bringing a new group of consumers into the conversation.
Part of the reason is that there isn’t one single definition. Farmers, researchers, companies, and consumers all come at it from different angles. Some focus on reducing inputs. Others point to practices like no till or cover crops. And some describe it more simply as working with nature. All of those ideas are part of it, but none of them fully capture the whole picture.
I tend to think of regenerative agriculture less as a checklist and more as a mindset. It’s a commitment to doing things differently, and hopefully better, for both the land and the business of farming. That matters because farming has to work economically, not just environmentally.
After working with farmers and now supporting global soil health efforts at Syngenta, I see regenerative agriculture as an economic decision as much as an environmental one, focused on protecting the farm’s most valuable asset while adapting practices to stay profitable. Rather than simply reducing inputs, it often means shifting them to improve efficiency and effectiveness, ensuring both sustainability goals and the bottom line are met.
In practice, this often shows up as a focus on soil. Farmers might reduce tillage, plant cover crops, or diversify what they grow. Over time, those changes can help reduce erosion, improve soil structure, and support the living system in the soil. At the same time, those shifts usually change how farmers manage weeds, pests, and fertility. It is not always about using fewer inputs. More often, it is about using them more effectively in a different system.
There is also no one-size-fits-all approach. Farmers adopt these ideas in ways that make sense for their land, their goals, and their comfort with risk. One farmer once told me that if you are going to do this, you have to move from “I will try it” to “I will make it work.” That shift is really where the regenerative journey begins.
So why do we care about it?
For farmers, it often comes down to legacy and resilience. They want to protect their soil, which is their most important long-term asset, and leave their land in good condition for the next generation. At the same time, they are managing rising costs, changing weather patterns, and ongoing pressures from pests and disease. Regenerative approaches can help strengthen the system, so it holds up better over time.
For consumers, the connection can feel less obvious. Most of us are not on farms. We are in grocery stores, trying to make sense of labels and choices. Terms like local, organic, and regenerative can blur together, and not everyone has the ability to prioritize one over another.
At its core, the value of regenerative agriculture for consumers is practical.
It is about food security. Land is a limited resource, and in many places, it is degrading. Approaches that protect and rebuild soil help ensure that land can keep producing food over the long term.
It is also about the environment we all share. Healthier soils can reduce erosion, improve how water moves into the ground, and support biodiversity. Those benefits extend beyond the farm and show up in cleaner water and more stable ecosystems.
And there is growing curiosity about food quality. While the science is still evolving, many people are interested in whether healthier soils may support more nutrient dense food. That question alone is driving more interest in how food is grown.
If the potential benefits are there, a fair question is why more farmers are not already doing it.
The reality is that change in agriculture can be risky. Farming is built on experience, and often on generations of knowledge. When a farmer changes practices, it can disrupt what has been a relatively predictable system.
Farmers get one chance each growing season to get it right. Once a seed is in the ground, weather, pests, and soil conditions begin shaping the outcome. Any change that affects that outcome, even temporarily, has to be carefully considered.
There are also practical challenges. New practices can require equipment changes or added costs. Just as importantly, they require learning a new way of managing the system. That often means trial and error and leaning on a network of peers and advisors.
That is why regenerative agriculture is less about a quick switch and more about a long-term shift. It takes time, support, and a willingness to adapt.
For those of us outside of the farm, understanding that complexity matters. It helps move the conversation beyond simple labels and toward a more realistic view of how our food system works.
Regenerative agriculture is not one thing, and it does not look the same everywhere. At its core, it is about improving how we care for the land that feeds us, while making sure it also works for the people growing our food.
If interested in hearing farmer, agronomist, researcher and industry perspectives and ways they are engaging in soil health, check out a podcast that I co-host. Soil Sense: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soil-sense/id1474699736
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Abbey Wick is a soil scientist and Global Soil Health Outreach Program Lead at Syngenta Group, where she develops innovative soil health and regenerative agriculture programs for more than 60,000 employees and customers across over 100 countries. She also founded Wick Consulting LLC, building partnerships with global value chain companies and non-governmental organizations to advance sustainable agriculture.
Prior to Syngenta, Dr. Wick served as an associate professor in Extension at North Dakota State University. She is an elected member of the U.S. National Committee for Soil Sciences within the National Academy of Sciences and serves on the board of The Liberty School for Dyslexic Learning in Durango, Colorado.
Her work is focused on driving measurable, global impact in soil health, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and advancing practical solutions that support long-term agricultural sustainability.
