Regenerative Agriculture Initiative

Program Overview

The Regenerative Agriculture Initiative began with supporting student-led research on how to inspire, encourage and finance regenerative agricultural practices. It has since evolved into a broader program that includes a course, a Connecticut-based conference on food innovation, and a repository for reports and insights from research projects.

The Course

In the Fall of 2024, the Yale School of the Environment took up the "lab" model we were using as a capstone course taught by Tagan Engel. The Regenerative Agriculture & Just Food Systems Lab capstone is a project-based clinic course for students to work with external businesses and organizations to support a just and thriving agricultural community and food system for people and the planet. The Lab hosts four semester-long projects centered on regenerative and just solutions in agriculture and the food system locally, nationally, and globally. Learn more about the course here.

Building on what we’ve learned and the successful projects we’ve supported to date, we are revising the program into a “lab” model. The Regenerative Agriculture Lab will design and supervise 3-4 independent study projects with external organizations, businesses and actors who are deeply engaged with regenerative solutions that support a just and thriving agricultural community and food system for both people and the planet.

The Lab explores and supports work in regenerative agriculture and just food systems such as:

community and smallholder farmer-centered approaches that are climate resilient and employ just practices for workers and people
operational or business planning for land-based agriculture, agroforestry, and/or ocean farming
equitable and resilient business models
reparative finance and investing practices

ENV 965: Regenerative Agriculture and Just Food System Lab Capstone

The Event

The Big Connecticut Food Event is designed to provide opportunities for emerging food and beverage brands to connect with the expertise that they’re going to need on their journeys, and for strategic and industry partners to meet the growing community of promising brands.

Our goal is to support the development of Connecticut’s entrepreneurship pipeline so it produces multiple food and beverage brands every year that each exceeds $2 million in annual sales.

Check out The Big Connecticut Food Event website!

The Insights

Reports:

Bridging the Regenerative Agriculture Financing Gap

Surf to Turf: Linking Regenerative Agriculture and Restorative Aquaculture in Coastal Foodscapes

Soil Health Policy: Developing Community-Driven State Soil Health Policy and Programs

Articles:

Accelerating Regenerative Markets in the United States

Reparative Investing and Due Diligence with Black Farmer Fund

If you are an organization that would like to learn more or potentially get involved in this initiative, reach out to us at cbey@yale.edu.

Previous projects

Grupo Trimex

Students developed an easy-to-read guide with a spectrum of regenerative practices and approaches that meet farmers where they are at and recognize the good work previously done. This guide also prioritizes changes addressing the climate crisis and farm worker well-being.

Black Farmer Fund

Students learned about and participated in the Fund’s due diligence process, gathering and analyzing essential information to help determine investment readiness and needs of potential northeast Black farmers or food entrepreneurs.

Yolélé Foods

Students worked with this West African food and economic development company to create a regenerative business model for permaculture and agroforestry in Mali centered around the climate-resilient grain fonio. Students created a business plan for this agroforestry expansion that builds on the agricultural planning and local economic development framework already in place.