Roots of Recovery: Regenerative Agriculture Offers Hope

Growers, retailers and suppliers are embracing regenerative practices.

From soil health to water conservation, regenerative agriculture is a concept that is rapidly moving from the fringes to the mainstream, as its practical benefits to strengthen crop resilience and support long-term sustainability become evident.

Although regenerative practices can vary by crop and region, they share a common goal: restoring natural resources while producing high-quality fruits and vegetables.

For Mexican avocado grower-exporter GLC Cerritos, regenerative agriculture has prompted a “fundamental evolution” in how it views ecosystems, marking a shift toward treating avocado orchards as living, self-sustaining systems.

“This transition has restructured our daily agronomic practices,” says the company’s sustainability director, Armando Garcia Angulo. “Instead of managing symptoms with synthetic chemicals, we design preventative ecosystem balances.”

As an example, Garcia Angulo says GLC Cerritos now integrates native forest trees into its orchards and the surrounding land to recreate natural microclimates, enhance regional biodiversity, and establish continuous wildlife corridors.

“Integrating native trees restores local ecological functions and stabilizes surrounding soil structure,” he explains.

For Janis McIntosh, director of sustainability at Naturipe, Salinas, CA, regenerative agriculture is a “shining star.”

“The biggest change for our growers who are focused on regenerative farming has been looking at farming from the bottom up instead of the top down — how they feed the soil, not the plant,” she explains. “Giving our growers the ability to make decisions in their fields has been a big part of this success.”

One such Naturipe grower is Diwan Munger of Delano, CA-based Munger Farms, who says rising input costs are leading producers to seek solutions that are readily available in nature.

MEASURABLE RESULTS

For many in the industry, the factor that makes regenerative agriculture so persuasive is its ability to deliver measurable results within a relatively short time.

An example is the concept of cover cropping, which McIntosh says has proven beneficial for many growers. “Whether it’s having something flowering all the time to feed pollinators above ground, or roots underground creating a mat of carbon that feeds microbiology, it all works together to support plants,” she says.

Although results often aren’t noticeable right away, Munger says benefits become apparent in plant health and fruit quality. “To measure results and make a difference, we have to pay close attention to all changes made and follow up constantly.”

Garcia Angulo says practices such as reincorporating orchard pruning waste directly into the soil creates a continuous biomass of organic mulch, which significantly boosts soil organic matter, sequestering carbon and retaining water.

Instead of relying on pesticides, GLC Cerritos uses biological control agents that release beneficial insects and entomopathogenic microorganisms to control pest populations naturally, reducing chemical dependency. To safeguard local bee populations and wild pollinators, the company also plants dedicated strips of native melliferous (nectar-rich) plants.

IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY SOILS

Jana Fischback, sustainability coordinator at Wenatchee, WA-headquartered Stemilt Growers, says regenerative agriculture — in the form of healthy soils, efficient water use, biodiversity, and long-term orchard health — provides a useful framework to work toward, which has been a long been a priority for the company.

“Healthy soils are the foundation of resilient farming systems.”

— Jana Fischback, Stemilt Growers, Wenatchee, WA

“For Stemilt, water management and soil stewardship have delivered tangible benefits,” she says. “Improving irrigation efficiency helps us use water more effectively while maintaining crop quality. When you improve soil health, you often see benefits like better water retention, less erosion, and stronger long-term productivity.”

Garcia Angulo says GLC Cerritos’ combination of adding biomass from pruning waste and minimizing chemical disruption works to feed the soil microbiome, in the process unlocking bound nutrients, improving soil structure, and increasing natural fertility.

Another beneficiary is water management, with organic matter acting like a sponge, maintaining biomass ground cover and improving soil structure. Through this, he says growers can increase soil water-retention capacity, reduce surface evaporation, minimize erosion on sloping terrain, and optimize irrigation efficiency.

Garcia Angulo says plants grown in living, biologically active soils become demonstrably more resilient, developing stronger root systems and enhanced systemic immunity. He says GLC Cerritos’ orchards have become “vastly more resilient” against climatic extremes — such as heat waves or sudden dry spells — and natural soil pathogens like Phytophthora.

“Regenerative farming improves soil health by adding carbon back into the soil, both on top and below the surface,” says McIntosh at Naturipe. “Carbon is the key to all life. It’s the bond between our most valuable resources.”

Building healthy soil creates a buffer, helping growers manage through times when water or fertilizer is limited, while also storing more when there is excess. McIntosh says all of those benefits help make crops more resilient, supported by the diverse microbiology that’s built along the way.

Sunkist, a Valencia, CA-based cooperative numbering more than 1,000 citrus growers, makes extensive use of regenerative agriculture, according to Vice President Of Government Relations And Sustainability Elaine Trevino, with precision water management, integrated pest management and nutrient management tailored to the needs of each grove.

In particular, she says soil-moisture monitoring and efficient irrigation systems help growers make more informed water-management decisions, while targeted pest and nutrient programs support orchard health and fruit quality.

“Pollinator protection is another important priority, particularly during citrus bloom,” adds Trevino. “Practices may vary, but they share a focus on using resources thoughtfully while maintaining healthy, productive orchards.”

As a fourth-generation farming family, Michael Family Farms in Urbana, OH, has had regenerative agriculture at its core for decades, according to Kathy Michael Sponheim.

A long-time proponent of smart crop rotation and cover crops to improve soil health and defend against pests, Michael Family Farms uses precision nutrient placement and irrigation technology to give the plants “what they need when they need it,” and also minimize outside impact.

“Potatoes grow underground, so they are sensitive to soil health and water,” explains Michael Sponheim.

A CUMULATIVE EFFECT

So how does regenerative agriculture work in practice? A case in point could well be IMG Citrus in Vero Beach, FL, a company which had operated as a conventional citrus grower for decades before the spread of citrus greening across the state.

When the disease began impacting the health and yields of trees, IMG realized it needed to start thinking differently about how it produced citrus, according to co-chief executive Tim Sallin.

“We quickly realized we needed to build soil biology and soil health to support the trees, and their immunity and nutrition,” he recalls. “We understood we needed to stop poisoning the soils with herbicides and fertilizers, and rebuild soil health by increasing organic matter and biology.”

Far from stopping “cold turkey,” IMG has been on a journey for over a decade, Sallin says, learning, experimenting and changing how it grows citrus.

A keystone to this change has been composting. Beginning with 2 tons per acre, per year, IMG has now increased to 6-10 tons, which Sallin says has had an important cumulative effect.

“For some groves where we’ve been doing it for over five years, we’re starting to see changes in the soil profile,” he says. “We’ve actually found earthworms in groves. We have much better water retention, and you see visible responses in the trees.”

IMG has also learned to measure the nitrogen contribution from the compost, which has allowed it to “significantly reduce” applications of synthetic nitrogen, while applications of glyphosate has been cut by more than 50%, switching to “less harmful chemistries.”

“It’s a holistic shift in how we think about farming that leads us to explore different approaches,” adds Sallin. “I can’t say we have solved the problem of citrus greening — we haven’t — but we are probably helping trees be productive longer.”

THE BROADER PICTURE

The conversation around regenerative agriculture doesn’t just involve growers, but is increasingly bringing in all stakeholders across the industry.

One such company is Bayer CropScience, whose director of global sustainability, regenerative agriculture and smallholder farmers’ strategy, Cristiane Lourenço, describes the concept as a key element in the effort to mitigate climate change.

“Regenerative agriculture is very important as a tool for growers to be resilient for what’s coming and what’s here,” she explains.

To do this, Lourenço says Bayer CropScience is not only breeding climate-resistant seeds, but is also developing climate change modeling — looking at the climate where Bayer operates and starting to anticipate future conditions for growers.

“We’re not only looking at what growers need today, because a tomato or pepper seed can take five or seven years to come to market, we are developing modeling tools that help breeders predict the climate in terms of water and soil conditions,” Lourenço outlines. “We want to make sure seeds not only deliver on taste and flavor, but also deliver more resilience for growers.”

An example cited by Lourenço is the Huntington sweet pepper, a variety bred by Bayer subsidiary Seminis to perform across a wide range of environmental conditions in India, including temperatures as low as 5°C and as high as 40°C. The variety, she says, demonstrates continuous flowering and fruit set across a broad range of temperatures, as well as tolerance to key diseases.

ROLE OF RETAILERS

For GLC Cerritos’ Garcia Angulo, retailers play a fundamental role as catalysts for regenerative agriculture by transforming the dynamics of the value chain, shifting from basic compliance systems to effective communication and leadership commitment.

“By demanding sustainability targets and certifications from producers, retailers not only elevate the industry standard, but also raise awareness among end consumers,” he says. “They serve as the strategic bridge to educate the market on how these practices restore ecosystems and ensure the long-term resilience of our food systems.”

However, Garcia Angulo believes the greatest opportunity to scale this model lies in securing a direct economic differential for producers. “Currently, the risk and operational burden of the ecological transition fall almost exclusively on the grower. If retailers structure their purchasing frameworks to financially reward operations that implement regenerative practices over those that maintain conventional methods, it would trigger massive adoption.”

Naturipe’s McIntosh believes retailers play a significant role in creating demand for products grown using regenerative agriculture by harnessing increasing shopper curiosity about where their food comes from and how it’s grown.

“Clear signage with recognized certifications makes it easier to digest, and your staff can help bring that messaging to life by sharing the grower’s story with shoppers.”

— Janis McIntosh, Naturipe, Salinas, CA

“Retailers place greater value on carrying products that meet those expectations, which encourages growers to continue investing in regenerative practices.”

WILLINGNESS TO PAY MORE?

Although there is plenty of variation among shoppers and markets, Trevino at Sunkist believes simply applying a regenerative label is unlikely to command a premium. Instead, she argues that retailers and produce companies need to clearly communicate why responsible stewardship supports quality and long-term supply.

“For these practices to create lasting value, they need to be meaningful to consumers, workable for retailers and sustainable for growers,” adds Trevino.

To avoid accusations of greenwashing, Garcia Angulo advises produce departments to establish credibility through third-party certifications. “Consumers need certainty that the avocados they purchase genuinely contribute to ecosystem restoration rather than just serving as a marketing trend.”

“Consumers need certainty that the avocados they purchase genuinely contribute to ecosystem restoration rather than just serving as a marketing trend.”

— Armando Garcia Angulo, GLC Cerritos, Oxnard, CA

By prominently displaying recognized sustainability seals, Garcia Angulo believes retailers can leverage verifications as a cornerstone of transparent corporate communication that demonstrates genuine commitment to the shopper.

He says retailers can build on that trust by deploying in-store visuals in the form of clear, engaging signage that connects the product to tangible benefits like living soils and enhanced biodiversity. This physical presence, Garcia Angulo continues, can be amplified by a social media campaign to educate the public on what regenerative agriculture represents, showcasing efforts like pollinator conservation and native reforestation.

As to whether such campaigns can translate to increased sales, Garcia Angulo believes there is a growing segment of conscious consumers willing to pay a premium for ethically and sustainably grown food. However, he concedes that price sensitivity remains real across the broader market.

McIntosh advocates “keeping it simple” by providing information about how food is grown and sourced.
Although Michael Sponheim hasn’t seen evidence that shoppers might be willing to pay more for potatoes grown using regenerative methods, she strongly advocates connecting consumers to agriculture in a world where most are far removed from it. To this end, Michael Family Farms packs include QR codes linking to a website giving details about the company’s sustainable farming methods.

THE EXPANSION CHALLENGE

McIntosh says a key challenge is “unwinding” practices that have been standard over decades in conventional agriculture. “It’s a huge undertaking, time and money, to truly understand your soil and for a farmer considering it, there’s a lot to think about and commit to,” she admits.

For Garcia Angulo, the produce industry still lacks a single, globally unified definition for “regenerative.” To tackle this, he advocates establishing clear, harmonized outcome metrics to prevent consumer confusion and ensure growers working on sustainable farming are properly recognized.

He admits the biological shift in soil health could take years. “During this window, growers may face learning curves or yield adjustments before full ecosystem balance is established.”

In a similar vein, Trevino says the absence of a universally understood definition is compounded by the fact that practices that may work for one crop, region or farming operation often don’t translate directly to another.

At the same time, she says growers have to balance environmental priorities with food safety, pest and disease pressures, water availability, labor and the economics of farming.

Although Trevino believes existing state and federal agricultural regulations can provide important foundation, she believes further progress will depend on broader collaboration between growers, researchers, retailers, trade organizations and government.

Stemilt’s Fischback agrees the lack of a universally accepted definition and set of outcomes remains a major challenge, and the practical reality that new practices take time, money, and good data. Growers, she says, have to balance those considerations with running a successful business.

“Ultimately, I think the industry’s greatest opportunity is to focus on measurable outcomes rather than terminology,” Fischback adds. “Growers have a long history of innovating and improving stewardship practices, and continuing to build on that foundation is what matters most.”

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WHAT IS REGENERATIVE AG?

• Restores soil health by building organic matter, increasing biodiversity, and improving natural biology.

• Conserves natural resources through practices that improve water retention, reduce erosion, support pollinators, and enhance long-term ecosystem resilience.