Daisy Wood: Regen must be a mindset for the many

Regenerative agriculture has made its way into headlines, policies, supermarket pledges and farm walks.

But despite all the noise, there’s still a quiet assumption lingering beneath the surface: regen isn’t for everyone.

See also: Daisy Wood – it’s individual drive keeping UK farming alive

About the author

Daisy Wood

Daisy Wood grew up in a farming family in Gloucestershire and studied an Environmental Science degree at the University of Exeter. After a spell with Leaf (Linking Environment and Farming), she now works as a knowledge transfer manager for Waitrose and the University of Reading. Her work focuses on applying scientific knowledge in regenerative agriculture.

Read more articles by Daisy Wood

It’s easy to see why. For a long time, regen has been painted as a soil-first movement. That’s important work, but it’s only part of the picture.

It’s about regenerating systems – and systems exist whether you farm in soil, water, concrete yards or coir.

Regenerative agriculture aims to improve four key impact areas: soil, water, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity.

Pretty much every farm interacts with at least one of those. You might grow in water, not soil, but you still manage nutrients. You might not keep livestock, but you still shape biodiversity.

You might not dig soil, but you’re still connected to climate resilience. And whether we like it or not, we’re all feeling the effects of a changing climate.

That’s why regen isn’t sector-specific, it’s system-specific. And if you’re part of a system, you’ve got a role to play in improving it.

So if everyone can do regen, why doesn’t everyone want to? Some of it comes down to habit.

As humans, we’re naturally drawn to what’s familiar, especially when the unfamiliar involves risk.

Change is uncomfortable. Even when the headlines are full of floods, fires and failed harvests, it’s tempting to hunker down and hope for next year to be better.

But this summer has shown us that we can’t keep waiting for “normal” to return. The weather’s changed. The markets are changing. And farming has to change too.

There’s also the myth that regen is all-or-nothing. That if you’re not ticking off all five soil health principles, you’re not doing it properly.

But regeneration isn’t a status – it’s a direction. Every decision you make has the power to strengthen or strain your system.

That applies whether you’re running a mixed family farm or a vertical salad unit.

Regen isn’t a movement for the few. It’s a mindset for the many. And in a year like this, we need more people thinking this way.