ReTerra: Scaling Regenerative Agriculture Across Brazil

Brazil’s agroecosystems are facing increasing climate pressures, soil degradation, and declining Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) levels. Shifting rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, and rising temperatures, combined with conventional high-input farming, are placing long-term productivity and sustainability at risk. These pressures also impact water and nutrient cycles, reducing the resilience of croplands and pasturelands across the country.

ReTerra is a strategic partnership created by Rabobank Brazil, Ruuts by Ovis, and Anthesis to accelerate the large-scale adoption of regenerative agriculture and deliver measurable climate, soil, and biodiversity benefits.

What the programme delivers

ReTerra supports producers through a paradigm shift toward more sustainable use of the land. Practices are tailored to each field’s biophysical characteristics and farming context, with a focus on:

• Improved grazing practices: Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) grazing mimics natural herd movements—optimising stocking density, rest cycles, and pasture recovery. This strengthens soil health, boosts ground cover, and increases carbon sequestration.
• Enhanced integrated crop–livestock (ICL) systems: Combining regenerative grazing with improved cultivation methods between crop cycles strengthens soil structure, enhances nutrient cycling, and builds year-round land productivity.
• Economic and environmental value: Alongside biodiversity gains, improved water retention, and healthier soils, producers can access carbon finance through the sale of high-quality credits generated by the programme.
• High-integrity monitoring and verification: ReTerra is grounded in robust, science-based monitoring aligned with both the Verra VCS and the GRASS Standard, developed by Ovis21 following decades of research and field experience.

Scaling impact across Brazil

Over the next five years, ReTerra will expand to 350,000 hectares—with the potential to grow further. The programme aims to deliver:

• Increased soil carbon and reduced GHG emissions
• Healthier soils and enhanced biodiversity
• Greater climate resilience for producers
• Long-term economic value through carbon credit revenue
• Scalable, landscape-level impact across Brazil’s agricultural sector

ReTerra represents a bold, collaborative effort to future-proof agriculture in one of the world’s most important food-producing regions.

To find out more about ReTerra, please contact us.