Agriculture is in crisis. Soil health is collapsing. Biodiversity faces the sixth mass extinction. Crop yields are plateauing. Against this crisis narrative swells a clarion call for Regenerative Agriculture. But what is Regenerative Agriculture, and why is it gaining such prominence? Which problems does it solve, and how? Here we address these questions from an agronomic perspective. The term Regenerative Agriculture has actually been in use for some time, but there has been a resurgence of interest over the past 5 years. It is supported from what are often considered opposite poles of the debate on agriculture and food. Regenerative Agriculture has been promoted strongly by civil society and NGOs as well as by many of the major multi-national food companies. Many practices promoted as regenerative, including crop residue retention, cover cropping and reduced tillage are central to the canon of ‘good agricultural practices’, while others are contested and at best niche (e.g. permaculture, holistic grazing). Worryingly, these practices are generally promoted with little regard to context. Practices most often encouraged (such as no tillage, no pesticides or no external nutrient inputs) are unlikely to lead to the benefits claimed in all places. We argue that the resurgence of interest in Regenerative Agriculture represents a re-framing of what have been considered to be two contrasting approaches to agricultural futures, namely agroecology and sustainable intensification, under the same banner. This is more likely to confuse than to clarify the public debate. More importantly, it draws attention away from more fundamental challenges. We conclude by providing guidance for research agronomists who want to engage with Regenerative Agriculture.

农业正处于危机之中。土壤健康正在崩溃。生物多样性面临第六次灭绝。作物单产处于稳定状态。在这场危机中，叙事激增了对再生农业的号召。但是什么是再生农业，为什么它获得了如此突出的地位？它解决了哪些问题，以及如何解决？在这里，我们从农艺角度解决这些问题。再生农业这个词实际上已经使用了一段时间，但是在过去的五年中，人们对它的兴趣重新出现。在有关农业和粮食的辩论中通常被认为是相反的观点为它提供了支持。民间社会和非政府组织以及许多主要的跨国食品公司大力促进了再生农业。提倡许多做法可再生，包括保留作物残渣，覆盖作物和减少耕种对“良好农业规范”的规范至关重要，而其他方面则存在争议，并且充其量只能是利基市场（例如永续耕种，整体放牧）。令人担忧的是，通常在不考虑上下文的​​情况下推广这些做法。最经常鼓励的做法（例如，不耕种，不使用农药或不输入外部营养物）不太可能在所有地方带来所要求的利益。我们认为，对再生农业的兴趣重新兴起，是在同一旗帜下重新构筑了被认为是两种截然不同的农业期货方法，即农业生态学和可持续集约化方法。这比澄清公众辩论更容易造成混淆。更重要的是，它使人们将注意力从更根本的挑战上移开了。