The Organics International General Assembly (IFOAM) has approved and released a statement “Elevating Truly Regenerative Agriculture – Statement from the Organic Movement”.
This statement provides members, partners, and regenerative actors with valuable perspectives from the organic movement on current regenerative initiatives and claims. It serves as both a starting point and an open invitation for dialogue on transformative pathways for agriculture. Designed to inspire both thought and action, the statement encourages collaboration toward meaningful and lasting change.
In short, the organic movement welcomed the focus on regenerative principles and practices, as these are at the heart of organic agriculture.
In a news release, an IFOAM spokesperson said, “Serious regenerative actors are seen as natural allies, sustaining inspiration to continuously improve organic practices and ensure that organic standards, certification, practices and policy are the best guarantee of regenerative approaches and outcomes. The organic movement rededicates itself to communicate with heart about the organic movement’s aspirations and our call-to-action for nature, climate, social justice and healthy food from healthy soils.”
However, IFOAM said it is alarmed by the widespread, misleading use of ‘regenerative’ in corporate branding and certifications, where highly degenerative practices like use of pesticides and synthetic fertilisers is common.
The spokesperson said, “A diffuse, incrementalist concept of regenerative agriculture is also being used to divert attention, resources and policy from truly transformative solutions from the organic, regenerative and agroecology movements. ‘Regenerative’ is now used so loosely and with such wildly varying definitions, that it cannot provide a solid basis for policy or credible, well-defined consumer claims. Together with the agroecology movement, consumer organisations and serious regenerative actors, we will call out regen greenwashing and counter misleading regenerative policy agendas.”
Responding to the statement, Nikki Yoxall, a regenerative farmer and Technical Director at Pasture for Life said, “Truly regenerative systems are, by default, organic – but that doesn’t mean that organic systems are regenerative. I am supportive of more rigour around regenerative claims, and agree with IFOAM’s concern about the widespread, misleading use of ‘regenerative’ in corporate branding and certifications, where degenerative practices are still common. However, all certifications add value and help consumers make better decisions, the challenge is how we make sure they also understand the substance behind the certification.”
Meanwhile, regenerative farmer, Clare Hill from Planton Farm, said, “For me, the focus is on regenerative outcomes – if a farm is run agroecologically, it is focussing on regeneration and it is doing it in an organic way with an organic management system, so you should be getting regenerative outcomes: improving the water cycle, improving biodiversity, improving the rooting depths of the grasses, having more diversity within your system. Where we focus on input standards, which can come from more of the corporate arm, then you know that it’s not regenerating – it might be a little bit better than it was, but it’s not regenerating at the scale that we need to fix the problems that we have.”
The IFOAM statement ended saying, “The organic movement will continue to engage with serious regenerative partners on knowledge sharing and policies that can motivate and support transition at the farm and community level. Together, organic, agroecological and serious regenerative movements are the alternative to degenerative agricultural systems. Let’s drive change together.”
Read the full IFOAM statement, Elevating truly regenerative agriculture