ReGen : A New Future for Farming, Food, and Health

An acclaimed geologists’ powerful argument to recognize soil health as the key to global food security.

A century of conventional farming has left our planet with sick soil, accelerating the interlinked crises of food security, biodiversity loss, water pollution, and climate change. In ReGen, David R. Montgomery, professor at the University of Washington and MacArthur Fellow, lays out a practical and productive vision for recovering soil health and safeguarding the future of food. The answer: soil-building regenerative farming. In exploring this much-needed turning point for agriculture, Montgomery marshals more than a decade of research, interviewing innovative farmers and seeing firsthand how they restored degraded farms around the world. ReGen breaks down common myths around conventional and organic farming, animal agriculture, and plant-based diets to frame ten policy recommendations for sustainably nourishing the world. As Montgomery shows, reducing tillage, laying off synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, growing a diversity of crops, and getting livestock back on the land can reverse centuries of soil degradation and harvest nutrient-dense food. Succinct, accessible, and urgent, ReGen points the way to a healthier, more resilient world.