Social Drivers of Transitions to Regenerative Agriculture

Mathew Stephen Alexanderson

doi:10.25918/thesis.346

Over recent centuries, agriculture has evolved from horse-drawn carts, through the Green Revolution, to new technologies increasing yields and efficiencies. Ultimately, this is impacting Earth's planetary boundaries, with various forms of alternative agriculture seeking to reduce ecological impacts and reduce synthetic inputs. Today, regenerative agriculture (RA) is emerging as a transformative and multifaceted solution that its proponents hope will combat land degradation, enhance soil health, and address climate challenges. However, little is understood about regenerative farmers, who they are, why they do what they do, and how they are sharing and taking up knowledge about current and intended practice change. This thesis addresses these issues through the implementation of survey research. Questions were integrated within the Cooperative Research Centre for High Performance Soils’ (Soil CRC) Social Benchmarking Study, with a second, online survey distributed through the social media sites of multiple regenerative agricultural organisations. From this, five stakeholder groups (conventional farmers, best-practice farmers, regenerative farmers and both conventional and regenerative consultants) were assessed to better understand the drivers, opportunities and limitations of RA. The findings provide evidence that a belief in anthropogenic climate change and education levels most strongly differentiate these farming groups, while adding that many farmers implementing associated best-practices may not currently identify as regenerative. The research culminates in a cross-phase comparison of themes among the five stakeholder groups, with the findings underscoring similarities in knowledge acquisition and pathways between regenerative farmers and consultants, which are quite different to those operating in the conventional space. Moreover, the thesis identifies broader limitations for investment or acceptance of regenerative agriculture due to method and mindset, including challenges associated with terminology, worldview, economics, governance, environmental factors, and time constraints. It suggests that while a trauma induced paradigm shift is a known way to change mindsets, a trojan horse approach of shifting practices, and perhaps later, mindsets, can also be an effective way to transition farmers, and our farming systems. The thesis adds to the growing body of knowledge on RA, while providing recommendations to assist with education, knowledge dissemination, future planning and governance around RA, to support the building of resilience in a changing climate.

Social Drivers of Transitions to Regenerative Agriculture

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Social Drivers of Transitions to Regenerative Agriculture

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