Designing accreditation systems that enhance the transformative potential of regenerative agriculture: an action-oriented case study on discursive institutionalization

Abstract

ABSTRACT Agricultural landscapes have been reshaped globally to drive unsustainable increases in profit and production. This is contributing significantly to the degradation of planetary systems and the vulnerability of food systems. The discourse coalition that has formed around the storyline of regenerative agriculture (RA) promises to address these issues by transforming food production and repairing ecosystems. The coalition has diverse contributors that interpret RA differently. This diversity will be difficult to retain as RA moves toward discursive structuration and institutionalization. There is a risk that discursive institutionalization might be achieved by shedding the more transformative RA discourses. This paper examines a volunteer-led co-operative, the Institute of Ecological Agriculture (IEA), as a case study on how accreditation systems might be designed to expand RA’s discourse coalition and increase the capacity of those discourses advocating transformation to institutionalize.