News

Regenerative agriculture adoption gap threatens food production goals

Survey data shows that consumers lack a complete understanding of regenerative agriculture, restricting its adoption and scalability within the food and beverage industry.

Regenerative agriculture is a recognisable concept among approximately 68% of consumers, according to data from a 2024 consumer survey by verification and product certification company Regenified. Despite consumer awareness of the farming approach that enhances biodiversity, soil health, and ecosystems, the survey results show that only 37% of respondents fully understand it.

The confusion that exists around the meaning behind regenerative agriculture has the potential for far-reaching effects on its uptake, development, and ability to progress within the food and beverage (F&B) landscape.

Furthermore, the findings indicate that, as a result, consumers do not grasp its benefits or understand how the farming approach creates added value in their F&B products that warrants an increased price tag. According to Regenified’s data, only 12% of consumers surveyed are willing to pay more for products that have undergone the regenerative agriculture process.

Global household names like McDonald’s, Nestlé and Walmart have announced their regenerative agriculture approaches. However, in the wider F&B sector, there remains limited uptake.

Cost thwarts scalability efforts

Numerous challenges are behind the current adoption gap within regenerative agriculture.

“High initial costs and long transition periods make investment and scaling difficult, not to mention resistance from farmers who are hesitant to abandon time-honoured, traditional practices,” Arsira Thumaprudti, head of business development at crop supply intelligence company Acclym, told Ingredients Network.

One reason for the difficulty in achieving all round adoption is the nature of implementing regenerative agriculture practices. Rather than a quick fix or one-size-fits-all approach, comprehensive support is needed to ensure effective farming and management. “The need for financial support and farmer training slows adoption,” said Thumaprudti.

Measuring the success of introducing regenerative agriculture practices is also complex, making defining clear key performance indicators (KPIs) to prove the value of regenerative agriculture practices difficult.

Evolving environmental needs farmers and the broader agricultural industry need to constantly monitor and update their regenerative agriculture approaches. “Practices need to be adapted to diverse climates and soil types, complicating consistency across global supply chains,” said Thumaprudti.

Producer and farmer collaboration

F&B brands adopting regenerative agriculture practices have one specific characteristic in common: their approach to sustainable impact. “Brands that adopt regenerative agriculture, or are more advanced in their regenerative agriculture journey, typically have close relationships with producers,” said Thumaprudti.

Farmer relationships with producers often develop through direct sourcing, vertical integration, or long-term partnerships with local companies like non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The perception is that their adoption of regenerative agriculture reflects these relationships’ strength and influence over their supply chains.

Clear communication remains challenging

Part of the problem in conveying what regenerative agriculture is, creating clarity and certainty, is how to communicate regenerative agriculture to consumers effectively. “The communication gap affects many areas of implementation,” Thumaprudti said.

For example, many regenerative agriculture initiatives start as small-scale pilots in specific regions, often in collaboration with academic institutions or NGOs. Each of these pilots tends to have its own goals and KPIs, making it difficult for other farmers and agriculturists focusing on other specialisms or in different parts of the globe to scale or standardise practices.

“While these local efforts are valuable, there’s a concern about their long-term viability if they can’t be aligned with broader, company-wide or product-level objectives,” said Thumaprudti. “The data generated across different pilots is often inconsistent, making it hard to use for reporting, marketing or internal decision-making,” added Thumaprudti.

F&B brands can, however, work towards making strides in regenerative agriculture and overcome these hurdles by focusing on key crops, commodities, or geographies most important to their business. By developing consistent, unified programs in these areas, they can build a solid foundation, apply lessons learned, and explore opportunities to scale,” said Thumaprudti.

While scaling may be limited due to the context-specific nature of regenerative agriculture, starting with targeted supply chains can still deliver tangible results. Introducing this approach, centred on specifically focused efforts, can prove an effective model for broader implementation over time.