Governance & Policy
Regenerative Agriculture Certification
Definition
Regenerative agriculture certification refers to third-party schemes that verify farming practices and outcomes associated with regenerative agriculture — soil organic matter improvement, biodiversity, minimal soil disturbance, cover cropping, integrated livestock and, in some schemes, animal welfare and social fairness. Leading schemes include Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC, layered on organic certification) and Regenified; unlike organic, there is no statutory definition of "regenerative", so certification defines the term in practice.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
How it is used
Food companies adopt regenerative certification to substantiate sourcing claims; retailers differentiate products; policymakers watch whether voluntary standards suffice or statutory definitions are needed.
Why it matters
As regenerative claims proliferate, certification is the main line of defence against the term becoming an unverifiable marketing adjective.