Living soils that feed the world

How can we produce healthy food while also conserving the aquifers and bringing back the forest that once thrived on these lands? Can we bring life back to the soil to create the landscapes of the future?

The answer is yes: it is possible. And it is also possible to reduce costs, improve working conditions for employees, strengthen the farm’s resilience and adaptation to climate change, and bring biodiversity back.

The result: happy, healthy cows resting under the cool shade of tree canopies and  more efficient economic activity. The numbers speak for themselves: although today they dedicate 130 hectares to livestock, one third the land they used in 1950, El Hatico Natural Reserve now supports 1.6 times more cattle, produces 62 times more milk per hectare, and employs 3.8 times more people.

In Argentina’s Gran Chaco, José Namtz has eliminated the use of plow discs that break up the soil and replaced them with direct sowing, crop rotation between planting seasons, and using cover crops to avoid leaving the soil exposed between harvests. Healthy soils have meant long-term economic sustainability for his business. Implementing alternatives that curb deforestation and the effects of agricultural expansion has allowed him to better adapt to increasingly extreme climate events in South America’s second-largest forest.

Don José is one of the producers with whom TNC and Nestlé Purina have been working to strengthen production systems in northern Argentina, combining technical knowledge, management decisions, and sustained work across 16,472 hectares in the provinces of Chaco and Santiago del Estero, of which 62% already implements regenerative practices.

Source: European Space Agency Land Cover – ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI)

Regeneration goes beyond borders

Restoring degraded ecosystems and strengthening socio-environmental and economic bonds transcend geographic boundaries and disciplines.

In Brazil’s Cerrado, John Deere, Walmart Foundation, Zoetis Foundation, Corteva, AGCO, and TNC are developing a project that demonstrates that when producers have access to qualified technical assistance to restore degraded pastures and enable the environmental adaptation of their farms, the results are reflected in tangible increases in productivity, farm resilience, and capacity to meet environmental and market demands.

In less than 24 months, livestock carrying capacity increased 38.2% (from 1.71 to 2.36 animals per hectare) on monitored farms. In other dairy operations, average production rose from 5.68 to 7.75 liters per cow per day, while in soybean production, productivity increased by 17%.

In Brazil, technical assistance is still the exception. According to the most recent Agricultural Census, only 20.1% of rural producers reported receiving technical advice.

This experience has made it possible to structure institutional agreements tailored to local realities, defining the appropriate service frequency and identifying low-cost management practices. The results demonstrate the potential of applying models like this at scale, connecting technical assistance, management, environmental compliance, and access to public policies and financing. The goal for 2030 is for these lessons to reach 5,000 producers through strategic partnerships.

The Laranjal Farm, in Nova Xavantina, is one of the project’s success stories. After three years of technical support, productivity increased by 27%. Pastures, previously about 70% degraded, were transformed through systems integrating agriculture, livestock, and forestry. Production was diversified from solely dairy to systems that include eucalyptus, papaya, banana, as well as millet, sorghum, and corn for animal feed, an additional source of income. This project demonstrates that regenerative practices strengthen climate resilience, reduce costs, and enhance the financial stability of communities.

Scaling Regeneration in Latin America

Scaling the adoption of new ways of sustainably producing food at the landscape level takes a collective effort. Livestock producers in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize have embraced this approach, taking important steps toward a transition that goes beyond national borders and is envisioned at the scale of the entire Maya Forest.

With support from the Latin America Conservation Council (LACC) and TNC, they developed a shared agenda focused on identifying best practices, costs, financing, traceability, value chain strengthening, and market access for sustainable cattle ranching.

One of the key achievements was the establishment of a Trinational Sustainable Livestock Roundtable, aimed at improving livelihoods while promoting the restoration of ranching landscapes and the conservation of biodiversity across the Maya Forest.

The project supported a network of producer hubs and demonstration farms, enabling the transfer of knowledge on implementing practices for the transition to sustainable cattle ranching and generating evidence to support scaling efforts. In collaboration with livestock associations and unions, public institutions, and partner organizations, the project trained technicians and producers, facilitated access to forest incentives and financing options, and developed planning tools that supported the adoption of silvopastoral systems.

In the face of climate disruptions, biodiversity loss, and social challenges across the region, the transition from traditional production systems to regenerative ones—centered on nature-based solutions and the protection of life—has become increasingly urgent.

Latin America is moving toward regeneration, not only in the way food is produced, but also in how ecosystems are protected for social and economic well-being. Understanding the paths our food takes is part of regeneration.

“The risk is no longer in changing, but in staying the same.”

The story continues…