Measuring landscape-level regenerative agriculture conditions and outcoomes

This resource was originally published by LandScale.

This gap analysis was conducted as part of a project funded by the Walmart Foundation to strengthen the LandScale Assessment Framework by enhancing its ability to robustly assess regenerative agriculture conditions and outcomes at the landscape scale. The findings directly informed version 1.0 of the LandScale Regenerative Agriculture Indicator Package.

Regenerative agriculture seeks to balance production with the protection of natural ecosystems while simultaneously restoring degraded farmland. While many existing frameworks focus primarily on farm-level practices, agricultural production occurs within complex landscapes where environmental, social, and governance conditions interact with farming systems. Monitoring and assessing these landscape-level dynamics is critical for informed decision-making, effective interventions, and tracking progress toward sustainability goals. Existing efforts, such as those by Regen10, have begun bridging the gap between farm-level practices and landscape outcomes. Building on these efforts, we aim to provide an implementable indicator package tailored for assessment at the landscape scale.

The resulting Regenerative Agriculture Indicator Package represents the first module in LandScale’s broader effort to create tailored assessment tools for major economic activities shaping landscapes. It builds on LandScale’s four-pillar structure—ecosystems, human wellbeing, governance, and production—and integrates relevant regenerative agriculture indicators and metrics, while maintaining LandScale’s holistic, outcomes-oriented, multistakeholder approach.

To inform this effort, LandScale conducted a literature review of key publications and frameworks from leading organizations, and held targeted consultations with experts to gather insights and ensure alignment with existing initiatives and best practices. Consulted organizations include the Rainforest Alliance, Field to Market, Regen10, The Nature Conservancy, and the Sustainable Food Trust. These engagements provided critical input on priority indicators and metrics, measurement approaches, and gaps in current assessment practices. We are grateful to our partners for their thoughtful contributions, which were essential to shaping this initial version of the Regenerative Agriculture Indicator Package.