The project was made possible through funding from the ISEAL Innovations Fund. This initiative aims to establish a system that rewards and supports soybean producers as they adopt regenerative agricultural practices, creating positive impacts for people and the planet.

RTRS recognizes the transformative potential of regenerative agriculture for farming systems. According to the IPCC’s Climate Change and Land report (2019), agriculture is responsible for 14-24% of global GHG emissions. Research suggests that adopting regenerative practices across all cropland could sequester up to 15 billion tons of carbon, potentially reducing atmospheric CO2 to preindustrial levels within 20 years. With soy production accounting for approximately 8.5% of global cropland, the sector plays a crucial role in achieving these outcomes.^[1]

With this in mind, and going beyond just carbon sequestration, RTRS aims to quantify the broader impacts on the ground by leveraging additional data from the 108 indicators included in our current Standard. As part of this effort, RTRS introduced the Regenerative Incentives Mechanism project in collaboration with the ISEAL Innovations Fund, supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), and NewForesight Consultancy. The project focuses on key areas such as soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and, of course, carbon sequestration.

This initiative is also driven by a coalition of organizations committed to sustainability: in the implementation group, Unilever, Bayer Crop Science, SourceIntel, CJ Selecta, Produzindo Certo, Aapresid, and Vrutti; and in the advisory group, Better Cotton, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and Bonsucro. As ISEAL members with experience in other crops, these advisory organizations will play a crucial role in ensuring that the outcomes of this project can be adapted to other commodities, fostering broader environmental and economic benefits.

RTRS, in a previous effort to assess its alignment with regenerative agriculture, commissioned Peterson Consultancy in 2022 to conduct a study comparing the indicators of the RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production  with over 18 regenerative agricultural practices, such as biodiversity claims, avoiding deforestation, conservation of natural habitat, and tillage management, among others.

The study revealed that 14 of these practices are already part of the certification, although not all are quantified. Nevertheless, with the Regenerative Incentives Mechanism project, RTRS takes a further step by incorporating more quantitative indicators and tools to measure the direct impact on the ground. This approach enhances the certification system’s ability to ensure tangible and measurable benefits for both producers and the environment.

The Regenerative Incentives Mechanism project seeks to address three fundamental challenges in the soy sector:

• Technical: Defining a clear vision and establishing technical requirements for regenerative agriculture in soybean production.
• Market: Designing an incentives system to provide financial support for producers during their transition to regenerative practices.
• Assurance: Developing a credible system to verify compliance with regenerative principles and practices.

The project will pilot solutions in the soy sector with the goal of creating scalable models that can be applied across other agricultural commodities. Key objectives include:

• Developing an optional Add-on Module within the RTRS certification system to reward producers who meet additional regenerative criteria.
• Establishing an Incentives System that assigns financial value to specific regenerative practices, creating tangible economic benefits for farmers.
• Leveraging technology through the RTRS Online Platform to enable trading of regenerative agriculture credits or physical product flows.

Luiza Bruscato, Global Executive Director at RTRS, emphasized the significance of the project:

“This initiative not only brings regenerative agriculture into focus but also serves as a practical, scalable model for advancing sustainability in the soy sector and beyond. By collecting data directly from producers, we can deliver more precise solutions, positioning data as a powerful catalyst for transformative change.”

The pilot project will be implemented in the Mato Grosso state in Brazil, specifically on RTRS-certified farms. This initiative is a work in progress, and the next steps are currently being defined.

We invite you to follow our journey and read our upcoming news for further developments.

For more information on this project and how you can be part of this transformation, please visit https://responsiblesoy.org/?lang=en

^[1] Thriving. The Breakthrough Movement to Regenerate Nature, Society and the Economy by Prof. Dr. Wayne Visser (2022)