To assist farmers and their clients in the transition to a more sustainable supply chain, FoodChain ID, one of the top global providers of food safety, sustainability, and product certification, recently unveiled a new global standard for the certification of regenerative agricultural practices.

The Regenerative Agriculture Standard by FoodChain ID is an autonomous, international, business-to-business certification standard that integrates environmental aspects and regenerative farming specifications for land management and soil health into any kind of farming, conventional or organic.

Based on the concepts of ISO 17065, the new standard was developed by FoodChain ID business Cosmocert S.A. with input from agronomists, farmers, academics, and industry professionals. It applies to items related to food, fiber, and agriculture. Farmers can advance in their transition to more regenerative methods with its certification levels, which range from “under conversion” to “full expert” in regenerative concepts.

“Our new Regenerative Agriculture Standard is the latest milestone in FoodChain ID’s long history of supporting a transparent and sustainable food supply chain. As well as providing value chain transparency with chain of custody principles and audit flexibility with other standards or certification schemes, the standard’s tiered nature offers farmers recognition as they progress towards full regenerative practices,” Dr. Chetan Parmar, FoodChain ID’s SVP of Technical Services for Europe and Asia, declared.

In addition to helping farmers build a sustainable business, regenerative agriculture seeks to maintain healthy soils, boost biodiversity, restore ecological balance, and slow down the rate of climate change. Regenerative farmers want to reduce their reliance on mechanical processes and inputs like pesticides that harm living things, soil, organic matter, and water systems.

“As the food industry explores new ways to build resilience against climate change, regenerative agriculture will play a vital role in creating a more sustainable supply chain and limiting the environmental impact of farming. This new global certification standard will help prepare farmers for inbound initiatives as the food system moves towards decarbonization – for example, the carbon credit exchange market – while scaling up regenerative farming methods for the good of both people and the planet,” Kostas Diamantopoulos, CEO of Cosmocert, mentioned.

The Regenerative Agriculture Standard from FoodChain ID can be used by individual or collective farmers in any type of agricultural system, as well as commercial companies and processing facilities for traceability and chain of custody.