We believe that African smallholder farming systems are ideally suited to Regen Agriculture practices: key principles of regen agriculture, such as the integration of livestock into arable farming systems, are already common in many African smallholder farming systems. Greater exposure to climate hazards makes crop diversification a simple choice. Maybe most importantly regen agriculture offers smallholders the prospect of increased yields with reduced input cost. If approached pragmatically, regen agriculture can increase smallholders yields & profits in the short-term by utilizing of a phased approach that focuses initially on increasing soil fertility and rebuilding soil health before reducing herbicides, fungicides & insecticides. While no / low tillage is often seen as a core element of regen ag in smallholder farming systems we believe it should be one of the final components.

Our approach to smallholder regen ag is heavily influenced by John Kempf’s work at Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) and the 5 core concepts he apply to AEA’s work. We first came across John’s work at the 2024 Groundswell Regen Ag festival and his headline talk is a great introduction to his approach and the key principle that the transition to regen ag should not result in a decline in yield but rather an increase in profits! We continue to follow John’s work through his regular podcasts which provide hugely insightful & practical examples of how farmers have applied his principles in the real world.