Paralleling the mission of Positive, Terra Genesis International (TGI) shifted their thinking from doing less harm—the basis of most sustainable production—to actively improving systems. They are a regenerative design consultancy, bringing solutions that regenerate soil and increase biodiversity whilst cultivating livelihoods. Terra Genesis understand and ally the language of business and of nature.
What makes TGI a regenerative design consultancy? Crucially, through teaching and propagating regenerative agriculture: a system of farming principles and practices to enrich soils, restore watersheds, increase biodiversity, and enhance ecosytems. The Positive F&D manifesto promotes these regenerative principles and practices which are already sowing the seeds for revolution. It is the opposite of today’s extractive and exploitative model—giving back abundantly more than it takes. (Watch the Netflix documentary Kiss the Ground if you want to learn more about the myriad benefits of RegenAg: the solution is literally right under our feet).
TGI is not your average *yawn* consultancy. The team comprises ecological designers, farmers, foresters, ecologists, educators, financial analysts and branding and marketing professionals. Mad Men meets Attenborough with a side of Thunberg. They focus on existing supply chains, delivering their expansive knowledge of permaculture, holistic management, horticulture, and professional landscape design. Looking to the intelligence of nature for answers in everything they do, they unleash and cultivate the regenerative potential of human enterprise. They remark: “Our work isn’t predefined. Every client brings a unique context, particular aims, and their own ecosystem of potential”. The integrity of Place and People are honoured, upholding 2 Ps of the Positive Compass.
Their recent project, Yellowseed, built a pioneering online platform to connect chocolate makers in North America with small-scale cacao growers in Central and South America (check out our article here for a deeper dive on the topic of cacao production). Their work supports farmers into leadership roles to establish fruitful and commercially viable relationships, in which growers are not undersold or exploited. Their long-term goal is to transition from a traditional supply chain (‘Winner Takes All’ model) to a regenerative producer web (‘Value for All’ model). TGI have been seminal in managing stakeholder collaboration, as well as creating measurement protocols to quantify ecological and social regeneration.
Another of TGI’s projects, Walkers Reserve, takes us to St. Andrews, Barbados. The area had been decimated by decades of quarrying and sand mining leading to widespread forest felling. Today, this destruction has been reversed far beyond standards of international mine reclamation, with the quarry restored into a rich forest and regenerative food-system. Over 300 acres of land have been reclaimed and 100 different species preserved. Collaboration with TGI has not only transformed the landscape, but also transformed the local people involved. The regenerative work encourages a deep developmental process for all stakeholders to exercise their own innovative and unique solutions. The transition from sand quarry to regenerative agricultural land management provides an inspirational case-study of post-extraction ethics. Looking forward, Walkers Reserve is planning to form partnerships across the Caribbean in order to share regenerative lessons learned, upholding Partners: another P of the Positive Compass. This approach is very much in keeping with our vision for creating shared value.
Recently announcing its partnership with Timberland, Van's & The North Face supporting them to build the first regenerative rubber supply system, TGI is paving the way towards a Regenerative future. Luke Smith, TGI's CEO considers that "while the transformation from rubber monocultures to regenerative farming on one farm is impressive, as the shift spreads wider, it is likely to have significant social, ecological and economic impacts in Thailand.”
Forging a path of restoration across the planet, TGI’s ultimate goal is to be redundant. That’s right, in a Regenerative utopia in which we have fully embraced our role as caretakers of the planet and of each other, such holistic thinking will no longer have to be strategically prescribed. It will be fully integrated and ingrained within team and stakeholder mentalities and supply webs. This is transformational Purpose. TGI wish to retire to a thriving world with peace of mind and to become farmers—lovers of the land—themselves.