Restarting Productivity Growth:
Regenerative Agriculture’s Role in Productivity Growth and Profitability
2026 Global Agricultural Productivity Report
Global agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) growth has stalled — just as volatile input costs, geopolitical supply chain disruptions, and mounting resource constraints make understanding regenerative agriculture’s potential both urgent and economically compelling. While the connection between regenerative practices and TFP growth is compelling in theory, it hasn’t yet been empirically demonstrated: no current study directly measures the TFP growth attributable to regenerative agriculture adoption.
This year’s report examines regenerative agriculture as a strategy for addressing three challenges long treated in isolation: stagnant productivity growth, thin profit margins, and long-run sustainability. The report is organized in two parts — a diagnostic assessment of current adoption and its observed productivity and profitability outcomes, and a forward-looking analysis of the R&D, decision-support tools, and policy design needed to translate that potential into measurable, scalable gains.
This year’s report identifies the regenerative agriculture practices with the greatest potential to move the needle on productivity, profitability, and long-run viability:
- Nutrient management, particularly nitrogen optimization
- Cover cropping and reduced tillage
- Rotational and adaptive grazing
- Regenerative aquaculture (including bivalve cultivation)
