Without Farmers at the Center, Regenerative Agriculture Will Be a Slogan Not a Solution

The rubber in the sole of your shoe may have a story to tell. Last month, the first shoes sourced with Regenerative Outcome Verified – ROV™ rubber reached the global market. The rubber comes from a small corner of Thailand, where rubber-tappers and farmers are transforming a monoculture rubber plantation into a diverse canopy. Now, farmers also grow mango, coconut, turmeric and a host of other crops that are enriching the soil, raising incomes, improving nutrition and forming a protective canopy that shields people and plants from the rising heat of climate change.   

The ROV™ standard is the result of a cutting-edge partnership between the farmer-led Regenerative Rubber Alliance in Thailand, the Timberland company, Terra Genesis, a regenerative design and development firm, and Smallholder Data Services. It is one example of the regenerative agriculture movement that is gaining traction among farmers, brands and the global climate change community.