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  • Publication | 2025
Walking the Talk? The Role of Regenerative Agriculture in Achieving Climate-Resilient Food Systems
Global Food and Nutrition Security

Regenerative agriculture (RA) is gaining momentum. The approach is increasingly promoted by corporations and civil society actors as a strategy to improve soil health, increase biodiversity and strengthen rural livelihoods. In the coffee and cocoa sectors, agroforestry emerges as a main regenerative practice. By integrating shade trees, fruit trees and other crops into cocoa and coffee systems, agroforestry is expected to deliver multiple benefits for climate mitigation and adaptation. However, outcomes on the ground are highly dependent on socio-economic as well as ecological system configuration.

To shed more light on how RA can contribute to climate mitigation and adaption, this report investigates how companies and other entities integrate RA into their strategies and plans, how narratives are translated into agricultural practices, how systems are monitored, and what outcomes are reported across projects. We based our analysis on a literature review combined with interviews with five organizations — Nestlé, Barry Callebaut, Earthworm Foundation, Solidaridad and reNature. We selected projects and initiatives implemented by these organizations to illustrate both the opportunities and the limits of RA approaches in the cocoa and coffee sectors.