“Doing more good”: Exploring the multidisciplinary landscape of regeneration as a boundary object for paradigm change
Regeneration is rising as a cross‑disciplinary paradigm, evolving from biological roots into fields like economics and agriculture. Its flexibility enables broad adoption while centering generativity, reciprocity, and holistic care. Though vulnerable to greenwashing, it can guide place‑based, collaborative approaches to healing social‑ecological systems.
Subject Tags
- Agriculture
- Regenerative food systems
- Social Sciences
Abstract
The concept of regeneration is gaining traction across diverse disciplines, from agriculture and engineering to business and the social sciences. More than just a buzzword, regeneration is emerging as a pivotal boundary object in a paradigm shift that is redefining design principles and transforming humanity’s relationship with the environment. This narrative review explores regeneration’s journey from its literal origins in biology and engineering to its metaphorical applications in areas such as regenerative economics, agriculture, and culture. We argue that regeneration’s conceptual fluidity allows it to adapt and resonate across domains while maintaining a core ethos of holistic, proactive care and stewardship. Central to regeneration is the notion of generativity—a principle that champions giving back more than what is taken, fostering reciprocity, and co-creating a thriving world for all. As regeneration gains prominence, there are risks that it will be misappropriated or diluted by greenwashers; however, its power lies in its ability to facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue and place-based solutions. Rather than limiting regeneration through strict definitions, we propose nurturing its development through collaborative social agreements like covenants and treaties that enshrine its core tenets of generativity, diversity, and care. We believe that regeneration’s emergence across disciplines heralds a new era of environmental thought and action—one where humanity moves beyond harm reduction to actively healing and enriching the social and ecological systems that we are part of. This review provides a foundation for scholars and practitioners to engage critically with regeneration and collaborate across boundaries to address pressing socio-ecological challenges.
Citation
Paolini, A., Bhalla, I. and Loring, P., 2024. “Doing more good”: Exploring the multidisciplinary landscape of regeneration as a boundary object for paradigm change. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 13(4), pp.89-104. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2024.134.011
TNC Authors
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Philip A. Loring
Global Director of Human Dimensions Science
The Nature Conservancy
Email: philip.loring@tnc.org