Regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach supported by specific regenerative practices aimed at restoring and enhancing soil health, improving biodiversity, and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
It represents an advanced model of agricultural management that seeks not only to sustain, but to regenerate ecosystems.
The RGN is a private certification standard designed in accordance with the principles of ISO/IEC 17065, ensuring integrity, reliability, and transparency in the certification process.
The RGN is a private, third-party certification standard that incorporates the principles of regenerative agriculture and establishes clear requirements and criteria for:
- sustainable and responsible soil management,
- increasing soil fertility and organic matter,
- enhancing biodiversity and ecological balance,
- reducing inputs and environmental impact,
- regenerating natural resources and ecosystems.
The RGN standard applies to:
- individual producers,
- producer groups and agricultural cooperatives,
- processing, packaging and trading companies (Chain of Custody).
RGN is applicable to all soil-based cultivation systems, including organic and conventional farming.
Certification of the final product covers the entire supply chain and therefore requires inspection of both primary production and post-harvest handling up to product processing and packaging.
Environmental Benefits
- Improved soil health and protection of natural resources
- Increased organic matter and carbon sequestration
- Enhanced biodiversity
- Reduced input use (water, fertilizers, plant protection products)
Social Benefits
- Empowerment of producers and local communities
- Reduced production costs through optimized input use
- Long-term resilience of agricultural activities
Economic & Commercial Benefits
- Access to new markets with high sustainability requirements
- Transparency and traceability across the supply chain
- Increased competitiveness and product added value
- Alignment with ESG frameworks and EU sustainability policies
The standard includes sustainable regenerative agricultural practices, such as:
- soil cover,
- crop rotation,
- reduced tillage,
- input reduction,
- compost use,
- water resource management and reduced irrigation,
- biodiversity enhancement practices.
Depending on the regenerative practices applied, producers and producer groups may be certified at three distinct levels:
- Level 1 – Basic
- Level 2 – Advanced
- Level 3 – Expert
The tiered certification system aims to:
- recognize and reward producers applying best practices,
- encourage continuous improvement,
- create added value for certified products.
In cases where minimum requirements for the Basic level are not met, the producer or producer group is classified under a “In Conversion” stage.
During this stage, a defined transition period is provided to achieve compliance with the standard and enable certification.
