Regeneration

Regeneration is not an ‘-ism’

Regeneration is an attitude of mind and heart that looks at any given area of human life (economics, agriculture, politics, gender relations, etc.), sees what is no longer working, and asks “how can this be changed for the better, how can this support more life?” Thus it’s very much tied up with the intention to make practical changes that will benefit as many people and life forms as possible. It draws inspiration from the wisdom that many indigenous peoples have preserved for centuries, and it also recognizes value in modern science – as long as this is applied responsibly and in service to community. Regeneration is very concerned with relationships – within your own mind and heart, with your neighbours in community, and with life in all its forms. 

Because the regenerative approach applies so broadly, it’s not really possible to fit it within the borders of a specific philosophy, as it finds value and inspiration in every world-view. In that sense, it is not a “one-size-fits-all” universal ideology or theory or ‘-ism’, but what has sometimes been called a pluriversal approach. Your definition will differ from mine because we come from different backgrounds and cultures and genders and histories, and so on. Regeneration is not only something you think, it’s something you feel, do, and embody, and it is very sensitive to the peculiarities of place, local contexts and cultures, to ecosystems, and to their broader cousins, bioregions…

I could go on like this for a while, but I’m guessing you may want to hear how this applies to the real world. Let’s start with something basic: soil.

Most folk without a background in farming will probably look at soil and see just dirt: something messy, to be removed or covered up by grass or other plants, or even concrete. And even some farmers might see soil as “just” a resource, to be mined for its fertility. But therein lies the problem: it’s by treating soil in these ways that we’ve reached the current crisis. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, one-third of the Earth’s soils are already degraded, and more than ninety percent could become degraded by 2050. www.fao.org What if, instead, we realized that soil is the name for a huge variety of incredibly complex and dynamic ecosystems, varying from place to place and over time? The number of organisms, from visible worms and bugs, to fungi, to all manner of invisible bacteria that exist in healthy soil is, quite frankly, amazing! What if we realized that, with our imperfect knowledge of these ecosystems, our main responsibility should be to protect and nourish soils everywhere, so that they, in turn, can nourish us? 

A growing number of farmers who are seeking to farm regeneratively take this approach. Whether they farm animals or plants, they understand that the basis for everything is taking care of the soil. They recognize the potential dangers of pouring artificial fertilisers and pesticides into the soil (and therefore into the water). They also know that preserving and strengthening biodiversity is not something that stops with the soil. So they use methods such as agroforestry or permaculture, which increase the variety of crops and animals on their farms. They may also invite in, and even work with, the wild species that surround their farms. 

A good accessible starting point to learn more about the importance of soil and soil ecology is the documentary “Kiss the Ground”; and a couple of examples of groups who are supporting regenerative agriculture here in the Netherlands are, We are the Regeneration and Toekomst Boeren. Common Land works on a broader scale, that of landscapes, both in the Netherlands and in other countries. And on a more local scale, there are many examples of community-supported agriculture (CSA) initiatives, which may include a regenerative or sustainable approach: two which I’ve worked on are Onze Groenteboer, and Hortus Populus in my home town of Bodegraven. The CSA Network gathers information on such initiatives in the Netherlands – if you want to get your hands in the soil, why not see if there’s something near you?

If you really want to work in a regenerative way, you can’t avoid noticing all the relationships that exist between different systems.

Remember that I said regeneration can be applied to any area of human life? Well, I forgot to mention that it applies between them as well. This is because regeneration isn’t as concerned with individual things as it is with systems, and with living processes. So if you really want to work in a regenerative way, you can’t avoid noticing all the relationships that exist between different systems. Farming, for example, is deeply entangled with economics. It’s also deeply rooted in the culture and customs of the place in which it happens. I understood this before, but it was brought home with even greater force in a recent online learning session Video available here for the Regeneratie Coöperatie, of which I’m a part. Max de Ploeg from Stichting Aralez shared how the current practices of most Western agriculture have deep roots in colonial history, and still largely maintain a colonialist, extractive approach to the soil and to life in general. Max noted that centuries of colonization have led to the disappearance of the commons in the Netherlands, and the appropriation of land into private property continues worldwide. This (mis)appropriation ties agriculture into economic and political systems, and relates closely to ideas around the importance of common property which are of vital interest to Amsterdam Alternative. 

This connection between agriculture and economics is quite subtle, and is an example of the kinds of challenges you begin to uncover when you adopt a regenerative mindset. Another link between politics and economics and agriculture which is more obvious, and very alive right now in the Netherlands, concerns the Stickstofcrisis. Because of a combination of political decisions to intensify Dutch agriculture (which implies increased use of artificial fertilisers involving nitrogen) dating back to just after World War Two, along with EU regulations around protected natural areas called Natura 2000 sites, the Dutch government has made a number of recent decisions that have placed them in conflict with the interests of many farmers – we’ve seen the upside-down flags. As a result, the BBB political party has recently risen to prominence.

It’s pretty clear the Stickstofcrisis is not a problem that is going to go away easily or quickly, as it is deeply connected with the high population density of the Netherlands, and with the ways in which agriculture is currently organized, with perverse incentives for highly industrialised and large-scale operations. Simply suggesting that more farmers adopt regenerative methods is no magic wand either. How can we really regenerate the situation? Can we find ways to create a deep and serious inquiry into the role of agriculture within society, including many different actors (supermarkets, dairy cooperatives, seed suppliers etc.) and ultimately every Dutch citizen?

Thus, beginning with soil, we’ve found our way to the need for regeneration in economics and politics, although we could equally have started there. Of course, regeneration in politics and economics is also a complex – though much needed – process. If anything, there are more signs of this in economics than in politics. Two related approaches which aim to shift the conversation in economics towards a regenerative direction are the degrowth movement (e.g. degrowth.info ; www.jasonhickel.org/less-is-more); and Doughnut Economics. Both of these approaches take seriously two things which receive scant acknowledgement in conventional extractive capitalism: the idea of planetary limits to human activity, and the related need to build socially equitable communities. If you live in Amsterdam, you may also be aware of the Amsterdam Donut Coalitie, and of the fact that Amsterdam City Council is basing its ambitions to be a fully circular economy by 2050 on the Doughnut. Policy: circular economy Naturally, among many other issues, both degrowth and Doughnut Economics look at the unhealthy excess of private versus public property.

As for politics, sadly, it is still not regenerative in any significant sense. Political discussions are only now beginning to take seriously the concept of sustainability through any kind of meaningful policy, and are still mainly human-centred, rather than focused on the flourishing and protection of all life forms.

And what about education? What indeed! We know that the basis for our future society emerges from education, thus its importance cannot be overstated. It is our children who will inherit the current state of the world, so they need to be well equipped to navigate its entangled complexities. The challenge is that the regenerative approach often calls into question the existing structures and institutions (including schools and universities!). So it should be no surprise, even if it’s disappointing, to learn that regenerative ideas are mainly visible in small initiatives outside the mainstream. One of my colleagues in the Coöperatie, recently attempted to set up a small regenerative school, with a proposed launch in 2024 in Amsterdam. Sadly, due to a number of difficulties, the attempt has had to be put on hold for the moment. The question for all of us at large is: how can initiatives like this succeed, and become more accepted, more mainstream? Because the need is great.

There’s so much more we could delve into – I’ve not even mentioned regenerative architecture, which pays close attention to the energy and materials that are used to make buildings (construction is also a contributor to the Stickstofcrisis) or the thorny question of how to make tourism regenerative, which a friend of mine, Roos Gerritsma, is working on in her Urban Leisure and Tourism Lab in Amsterdam Noord. But I hope you’re beginning to get a sense for how the regenerative lens can be applied to almost every area of human life.

You may have also noticed the number of questions I’ve asked so far. This connects with the insight that humility is an important part of the regenerative attitude. It means we are humble enough to recognize that in face of the incredible complexity of entangled living systems, we most certainly do not have all the answers. Indeed, it is doubtful that we have even been asking the right questions. So regeneration asks us to take a step back, to take the time to ask whether the forms of culture and civilization we have been building for the last few centuries are actually healthy, or whether there are better ways to connect together in community with humans and other Earth inhabitants. As I mentioned earlier, this includes the ways of relating to animals, plants, and landscapes that indigenous people have learned while living within their bioregions over many thousands of years. These more responsible ideas about how living beings can co-exist in particular places over long periods of time can be usefully combined with some of the insights of ecology, psychology and social anthropology to show how we can apply these ideas in other places and times – like right here and now!

In order to take the regenerative step back, to adopt that humble, inquiring attitude, it’s often useful to do work on ourselves – not with the intention simply to feel better, because it can be a painful experience to learn how harmful some of our presuppositions about the world are. The intention that can carry us through that discomfort into a sense of hope and purpose is founded in the desire to help not just ourselves, but also the wider communities of which we are a part. In that sense, regeneration never stops at the border of our skin: it’s always entangled with the needs and desires of others. Thus regeneration is also fundamentally about building communities of thinking and acting together. There are many such communities, online, hybrid and physical, and some may not use “regenerative” in their titles. As I said above, I’m part of the Regeneratie Coöperatie (regeneratie.org) here in the Netherlands, which thinks about and does things together. I’m also part of other groups with a broad regenerative purpose too, as I’m sure that you are. There are also many wider networks: to pick just two, the Work that Reconnects Network and the Transition Network. And there is always the possibility of starting your own local one!

So, what’s next?

For those who find their way into a subject through reading, there’s a whole pluriverse of possibilities – remember, there’s no one speaker or thinker or group with all the answers. And some of them won’t even use the term “regenerative” or “regeneration” anywhere! Three of my favourites are Daniel Christian Wahl’s Designing Regenerative Cultures, which synthesizes a great deal of previous thought and is thus a good starting point for further explorations (and for asking better questions); the beautiful Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, biologist and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, which reveals ways in which an indigenous view of living beings and communities can complement a scientific perspective; and Anna Tsing’s The Mushroom at the End of the World, which takes the apparently obscure topic of the global trade in matsutake mushrooms and reveals multiple connections with migrant identity, commodification, fungal ecologies and forest histories. And simply typing “regenerative [subject]” into a search engine is liable to reveal plenty of resources. Keep in mind that, particularly where commerce intersects with these subjects (such as in architecture), “regenerative” is most likely to describe an aspiration towards some of the ideas key to a regenerative approach, as economics and business are themselves still in quite an early phase of becoming regenerative. You may find, for example, much language centred around sustainability and circularity, which are partial stepping-stones on the way towards regeneration. 
 
Perhaps you would prefer to have other people to discuss these ideas with. And this opens up one area where education is actually becoming a little more regenerative, since the possibilities for studying diverse topics, particularly online, have mushroomed. There are plenty of courses available – again, some that label themselves “regenerative”, some not. For example, I was very nourished by a course from Advaya (advaya.co) on Kinship. Two other courses that have helped me on my regenerative journey are the Regenerative Leadership journey hosted by Laura Storm (https://www.regenerators.academy/collections); and Designing Resilient Regenerative Systems, (https://systemicdesignlabs.ethz.ch/drrs-mooc/) created by the Systemic Design Lab of ETH Zurich, with contributions from Daniel Christian Wahl. And there are many other courses, and many other ways into the heart of regeneration.

In true regenerative fashion, I’ll end with some questions. There are so many ways into regeneration, and everyone who cares even a little for anything can be potentially regenerative. What, of all the swirling, messy mystery of entanglements that make up life on Earth, calls out to you? How can you become a little more regenerative?