In the quest to reduce the food system’s substantial greenhouse gas emissions, a novel tool has emerged to help businesses align with regenerative practices, potentially reshaping the agricultural landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The Initial Perception of the Regenerative Approach (IPRA) tool, developed by Bruna L. Amante from the Department of Agrobiodiversity and Food Security at the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica, offers a rapid and cost-effective method to assess food businesses’ alignment with regenerative principles.
The IPRA tool is designed to evaluate companies’ actions, intentions, and narratives against regenerative standards, providing a preliminary overview that can guide stakeholders and investors. “The tool comprises four main instruments that support the systematic collection of business information and the evaluation of regenerative attributes across environmental, social, and economic dimensions,” Amante explains. This scoring system, integrated with qualitative data from interviews, allows for a nuanced assessment of businesses’ regenerative practices.
The tool was tested on 55 food businesses across the Amazon and Central American Dry Corridor, drawn from a previous mapping of 181 businesses. The results were promising, demonstrating IPRA’s ability to provide a general overview of regenerative approaches and enable comparisons among businesses. “The findings revealed varying levels of alignment among the businesses, with an overall correspondence with regenerative practices highlighted in existing literature, particularly in agronomic and environmental aspects,” Amante notes.
The implications for the food and agricultural sectors are significant. By offering a rapid and cost-efficient overview, IPRA can support the development of public policy frameworks and other actions aimed at advancing the regenerative approach throughout LAC. This could lead to more sustainable business models, enhanced food security, and reduced environmental impacts.
For investors and stakeholders, IPRA serves as a valuable resource for identifying businesses that align with their interests, enabling them to make informed decisions before investing in more in-depth field studies. “The tool proved adaptable, effective, and cost-efficient for gathering data across the food system, including agricultural production, forest food gathering, or commercial processing,” Amante states.
Published in the journal ‘Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems’ (translated to English as ‘Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems’), this research highlights the potential of the IPRA tool to drive the regenerative transition in the food sector. As businesses and policymakers increasingly recognize the need for sustainable practices, tools like IPRA will play a crucial role in shaping the future of agriculture and food systems in LAC and beyond.