REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1638507
This article is part of the Research TopicFood Systems for Nutrition: Converging Economic, Social, and Environmental SustainabilityView all 20 articles
From Soil to Health: Advancing Regenerative Agriculture for Improved Food Quality and Nutrition Security
Provisionally accepted
- 1Basil's Harvest, Chicago, United States
- 2University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, United States
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Industrial agriculture practices including herbicide-pesticide usage, synthetic fertilizer application, large-scale monocropping, and tillage contribute to increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), exacerbating the effects of global climate change, damaging vital water resources via nutrient pollution and soil erosion, and significantly reducing biodiversity across ecosystems. Observed decadal declines in diet quality driven by industrial farming practices have led to a global health epidemic marked by increased micronutrient deficiency and malnutrition. Additionally, global incorporation of processed foods, a mechanism bolstered by the industrial agricultural complex, contributes to increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes and obesity. Regenerative agriculture represents the latest farm management strategy to challenge industrial agricultural methodologies, offering potential approaches to mitigate the myriads of challenges associated with global agricultural food production. However, more than forty years after redefining a millennium of Indigenous philosophies, numerous barriers continue to limit its large-scale adoption beyond 1% of global farmed acreage. Associated barriers include an unresolved operational definition, lack of standardized certification, and limited research to support both producers and extension specialists. A shortage of systemic collaborative support, including consumer interest and demand, hinders regenerative agriculture adoption. This review examines the global challenges posed by the industrial agriculture model, particularly regarding ecosystem degradation and an inability to meet human nutritional needs. We specifically evaluate the potential of regenerative agriculture to restore global ecosystem services, meet the demands of a growing population, and highlight key knowledge gaps requiring further investigation. Lastly, we identify policy initiatives that, if thoughtfully implemented, could significantly expand the acreage managed under regenerative practices.
Keywords: Regenerative agriculture, ecosystem services, Human health, policy initiatives, Consumer engagement
Received: 30 May 2025; Accepted: 23 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rosier, Knecht, Steinmetz, Weckle, Bloedorn and Meyer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Carl Rosier, c.rosier@basilsharvest.org
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.