Who We Are

The Regenerative Agricultural Association of Southern Africa (RegenAg SA) is a nonprofit, education and advocacy organization that is working to stop the catastrophic consequences of Industrial Agriculture by facilitating farmers and consumers in transitioning to Regenerative Agriculture.  Regeneration needs to take place across the value chain but it starts with regenerating the relationship between plants and soil microbiology.

Healthy Soils are Mission Critical

1. Healthy soils make healthy plants which make healthy ecosystems
2. Healthy production ecosystems make healthy animals and people
3. Healthy soils are less prone to erosion
4. Healthy soils sequester carbon
5. Healthy soils infiltrates and store more water
6. Healthy soils can fix farm economics

RegenAg SA is involved with educating farmers and consumers about the true cost of Industrial Agriculture - the depletion of soils, the destruction of the carbon cycles, the dependency on fossil fuels, the collapse of rural economies, the high greenhouse gas emissions and human health implications - and showing how Regenerative Agriculture is a solution to most of these problems. Our goal is to redirect Southern African agriculture toward regenerative methods that rebuild our soils, reduce input costs, protect and enhance the natural environment, reinstate functional watersheds, mitigate climate change, produce nutrient dense healthy foods, promote biodiversity, animal welfare and economic justice to farmers, farm workers and rural communities.

We are working towards the transition that puts agriculture in its rightful place as a source of health and a solution to many of our ecological woes, rather than a primary cause!

Aims and Goals

1. Convert Southern Africa to farming Regeneratively
2. Create a Regenerative Agriculture ecosystem for collaboration, research and knowledge transfer
3. Educate farmers & consumers on the benefits of Regenerative Agriculture
4. Assist farmers to transition to Regenerative Agriculture
5. Assist with the development of Regenerative Agriculture markets
6. Create partnerships across the value chain
7. Regenerate farming communities

Regenerative Agriculture Definition

There is no one definition, this is ours: 

Regenerative Agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that strive to regenerate soil ecosystem relationships.  Thereby restoring soil's crucial ecosystem services - the carbon cycle, the water cycle and the nutrient cycle (to mention 3) and the production of healthy foods. The plant - soil microbiology relationship is the first relationship in the agricultural value chain that requires regeneration.  Thereafter the other relationships along the chain need to be changed from being extractive to regenerative. 

Going forward

When faced with the enormity of the environmental challenges most people close down and move onto something more digestible. One of the great advantages of this soil based solutions is that they are accessible to so many more people than other grandiose, silver bullet solutions.

What do we need to do?

1. Create pathways for farmers to move towards natural farming systems.
2. Create pathways for non-farming capital to invest in the restoration of farms lands.
3. Create pathways for farmers to be paid for ecosystem services.

Together we can get the carbon back in the soil while improving our food and our health.

These are the the 5 main principles of healthy soil for Regenerative Agriculture.

"Agriculture is regenerative if soils, water cycles, vegetation and productivity continuously improve instead of just maintaining the status [quo]. The diversity, quality, vitality and health of the soil, plants, animals and people also improve together." - Dr Christine Jones

Video:  South African Regenerative Farmer Bertie Coetzee