Abstract

The Avina Foundation and the NAR Consortium, a network bringing together academic, impact investment and innovation entities across Latin America, are advancing a policy and institutional innovation to scale regenerative food system transitions across Latin America, targeting Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. Building on four years of collaboration with universities, investors, and innovators to develop a Latin American framework for regenerative food systems that integrates socioeconomic and environmental dimensions, the initiative moves from theory to implementation by creating shared frameworks for data, finance, and governance. It deploys a set of practical tools, territorial transition plans, blended-finance mechanisms, and regenerative bioinput solutions that are ready to be adapted and scaled across diverse bioregional contexts.

Partners

Scaling partners

Fundación Avina, CATIE- NESsT, SVX Mexico

Innovation partners

Ikatu Ventures, WTT, SVX Colombia, GRADE, Colombia Regenerativa

Demand partners

National Ministries of Agriculture and Environment; Local governments; cooperatives, producer associations; global companies linked to supply chains

Financing

USD 25 million (2025–2030)

Challenge

Regenerative food systems represent one of the most promising pathways to strengthening the communities most vulnerable to climate change. Yet, regenerative food system transitions across Latin America, Africa and Asia face persistent knowledge and technology gaps, a lack of long-term, coordinated initiatives at the landscape or bioregional level, weakly connected value chains, and fragmented decision-making. In Latin America, one of the regions most vulnerable to climate impacts yet rich in cultural and ecological resources, these barriers are particularly acute, underscoring the need for co-constructed regenerative strategies to deliver equitable, climate-just, and resilient food systems.

Solution

The NAR Consortium advances the regenerative transition of food systems by filling critical knowledge gaps with robust, systematised evidence and mobilising multiple sectors, from production and value chains to policy, to act as living examples that can be replicated across Latin America. The initiative works through four pillars:

• Knowledge Management consolidates and applies studies on regenerative businesses to provide clear evidence on profitability, competitiveness, yields, costs, and environmental performance, demonstrating to producers, investors, and policymakers the long-term viability of regenerative practices.
• Ecosystem Strengthening translates this evidence into advocacy, policy dialogue, consumer awareness and market alignment, tackling barriers such as subsidies that favour extractive models and promoting incentives for regenerative production.
• Investment expands blended finance mechanisms, with a gender lens, for social enterprises, cooperatives, NGOs, and SMEs, through a Regenerative Transition Fund in five countries to support producers’ shift from extractive to regenerative systems.
• Entrepreneurship and Regenerative Technology accelerate the adoption of sustainable, non-synthetic agricultural inputs, identifying and scaling short-term, market-ready solutions.

Together, these pillars, which will engage local and regional stakeholders, create a coherent, evidence-driven architecture that integrates finance, policy, and innovation, enabling regenerative transitions to scale sustainably across Latin America.

Impact

Reach: 7,800 farms reached through partner-led demonstrations across East Africa.‍

Cost reduction: Portable soil testing kits reduce testing costs from USD $20–60 to just USD $10 per sample, making soil diagnostics affordable for smallholders.‍

‍Farmer demand: Adoption studies show farmers are willing to pay under USD $10 per test, confirming both affordability and perceived value.‍

Efficiency gains: Farmers applying site-specific fertiliser blends report higher yields and input savings compared to conventional practices.

Success stories

Uganda:
Makerere University’s portable soil test kit demonstrated strong field reliability and scientific accuracy. The pilot introduced a new digital advisory platform linking test results directly to fertiliser and soil management recommendations for farmers and extension officers.

Kenya:
ICED and Tegemeo Institute analysed soils from 657 farms and trained 53 agricultural officers to interpret results and deliver targeted fertiliser advice. Farmers adopted liming and balanced fertilisation practices, improving both productivity and soil resilience.

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Scaling plan

ICED’s scaling strategy moves from pilot demonstrations in select districts in East Africa to regional rollouts across six countries (Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, and Malawi) within five years.

• 2025–2026: Proof-of-concept, soil testing technology validation, and co-design of dashboards with farmers, extension officers, and government.
• 26–2028: Expand soil testing kits through farmer cooperatives, input suppliers, and digital platforms to increase reach and affordability.
• 2029-2030: Integrate into government extension systems, national agricultural research organisations, and regional policy frameworks to ensure long-term sustainability and scaling.

Enablers

Supportive policy reforms on input systems and soil health; Growing private sector demand for digital advisory tools and blended fertilisers; Co-investment from agri-tech and fertiliser industry partners.

Contact

Dr. David Ameyaw, Chief Executive Officer, International Centre for Evaluation and Development , Dameyaw@iced-eval.org, +254 714411671

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