Regenerative agriculture—a definition and philosophy

Meaningful progress depends on theoretically robust conceptual frameworks, but one is sorely lacking for regenerative agriculture. Here, I discuss the processes of degradation and regeneration as applied to agriculture, and how regenerative agriculture converges and diverges from related concepts. I propose a new definition that moves beyond listing agricultural practices, by integrating an agricultural environmental ethic. Conceptualized this way, regenerative agriculture has the potential to support broader agroecological transitions towards more sustainable agriculture.