Regenerate Maryland
From shared vision to shared action
By Elizabeth Beggins and Amanda Cather
What does“ regenerative agriculture” mean in Maryland, and what will it take to help it grow in our rural and urban agricultural communities?
Those questions are at the heart of Regenerate Maryland, a collaborative effort led by American Farmland Trust( AFT) that is bringing together farmers, researchers, conservation professionals, agencies, nonprofits, agricultural businesses, and community partners to identify practical strategies for expanding regenerative agriculture in the state. AFT loosely defines regenerative agriculture as a holistic system of farming principles and practices that aims to restore and enhance the health of soil, farms, ecosystems, and communities while producing food, fiber, and other agricultural products. It goes beyond sustainability by not just maintaining current conditions but actively improving them. However— and importantly— this process did not begin with any fixed definition or a predetermined agenda. It started with listening: to what farmers are already doing, what barriers remain, where programs are helping, and where stronger coordination or investment could make regenerative management more practical, profitable, and accessible.
AFT’ s listening sessions revealed strong agreement on several connected priorities: farm profitability, trusted peer networks and technical assistance, improved markets, and clearer connections among the many programs and resources already available. They also affirmed a critical distinction: regenerative agriculture is not simply a set of practices to be adopted. It is an ongoing relationship among land, water, markets, communities, and the people who make farms work.
It is tempting to treat regeneration as simply a checklist to complete: cover crops, reduced tillage, rotational grazing, riparian buffers, nutrient management, integrated pest management, agroforestry, and other practices that improve soil health, protect water quality, and strengthen resilience. These practices matter, and Maryland has a strong foundation for them, leading the nation in many cases. Long-standing
4 plenty I autumn harvest 2026