Socially Regenerative Agriculture: Grounding the Human and Nonhuman in Healing

In this chapter, we recount how four farmers—three in Vermont, one in Kansas—have adapted the process of ‘regenerative’ farming towards social renewal through community healing. We focus on social regeneration as a paradigm shift that is framed by multiple elements being regenerated—the soil mycelium, the ecosystems, and the ability for us as humans to live well and in health. As activists, we are studying these movements as we participate in them, and thus our personal identities interact with the changes we hope to see in the world. When we both began our respective research, we imagined that the majority of individuals would view ‘regeneration’ as based on the five soil health principles—minimize disturbance, maximize diversity, keep the soil covered, maintain living roots, and integrate livestock. While it is true that many echoed this ‘definition’ of regeneration, individuals also linked regeneration to the practice of social justice and food sovereignty. Our research changed our perspectives on what it means to live well, even when one is experiencing social injustice due to varied patterns of discrimination.