Regenerative cacao in Ecuador

Rach Colling on April 23, 2026

Co-design

Regenerative cacao in Ecuador

A feasibility study is underway to co-design a Living Lab in Ecuador focused on regenerative cacao cultivated in traditional Indigenous agroforestry systems known as chakras. These ancestral systems offer a nature-positive, culturally rooted model for productive land use, biodiversity conservation, and food sovereignty. 

About the project

Ecuador’s rich biodiversity and globally renowned specialty cacao position it well for premium sustainability-focused markets. The study aims to assess key structural constraints, map actors, capacities, and value chain dynamics, and design a Living Lab to guide a long-term vision for a regenerative cacao ecosystem.

This includes a high-value, fully regenerative supply chain co-owned by Indigenous communities, integrated into premium international markets, and supported by committed buyers of fine-flavour cacao.

The feasibility study will be completed in 2026, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Updates

Regenerative coffee in Indonesia

Rach Colling on April 23, 2026

Co-design

Regenerative coffee in Indonesia

Two feasibility studies were launched in 2025 to assess the potential for establishing Living Labs focused on regenerative agroforestry coffee in West Java and Aceh, Indonesia. These Living Labs are envisioned as real-world demonstration sites where agroforestry and nature-based solutions are co-designed with local communities, scientists, and value chain actors to regenerate landscapes, strengthen livelihoods, and create investable models for sustainable production.

About the project

Across both regions, the studies aim to:

  • understand the local context
  • evaluate current local farming systems and value chains
  • identify pathways for transition to regenerative landscapes
  • develop preliminary Living Lab designs aligned with the CBA’s Principles for Regenerative Landscapes.

The overall objective of the Living Labs is to create replicable models that can scale across Indonesia and other tropical regions and catalyse a long-term shift in how coffee landscapes are managed, financed, and governed.

Photo: Saosavanh Ketmala

Updates

Co-designing a Wild Herb Sanctuary

Rach Colling on March 19, 2026

Co-design

Wild Herb Sanctuary

Globally, our reserves of wild herbs are disappearing. Culinary herbs are particularly under threat, due to commercial exploitation of stocks of wild plants; foraging; over-development by building, as well as degradation of the land through use of pesticides and insecticides. Wild herb stocks are dramatically lower than they were 30 years ago; some are now at a critical level.

In Greece, wild herbs and flora form part of the ecosystem supporting the survival of olive trees and local oil production, which is culturally as well as economically important. The Wild Herb Sanctuary project on the island of Paxos, Greece is scoping a CBA Living Lab which will provide training for regenerative farming, sustainable land management and wild flora and herb identification and growth.

About the project

The Wild Herb Sanctuary project aims to:
• Work in partnership with landowners to assist them to maintain the land in a sustainable, regenerative state, removing invasive species and encouraging the growth of wild herbs.
• Wild Herb Sanctuary status will be given to land which complies with, and where the landowners practice, principles of active preservation and regeneration.
• Provide training in regenerative farming, sustainable land management, wild flora and herb identification and growth.
• Demonstrate how naturally mulched, living soils retain moisture and support trees during hot, dry summers and climate change, boosting olive yield and increases in quality production.
• Enable community-led learning based on traditional practices for sustainable foraging, harvesting and using wild food safely.

Photos: Jonathan Lovekin

Regenerative viticulture in France

Rach Colling on December 31, 2025

Co-design

Regenerative viticulture in France

An initial feasibility study focused on Château de Pommard in the Côte de Beaune wine-producing region in France, with the aim of pioneering a demonstration site for regenerative wine production.

Grounded in the CBA’s Principles for Regenerative Landscapes, the proposed approach combines vitiforestry (the integration of trees and shrubs within or around vineyard plots), redesigned open spaces, enhanced biodiversity, and continuous scientific monitoring to create a multifunctional, climate resilient vineyard landscape.  

Although the Living Lab may not proceed to full implementation, the feasibility phase already generated valuable insights into the potential of regenerative viticulture.

About the project

The Living Lab concept includes:

  • an initial ~1 hectare vitiforestry pilot site
  • new hedgerows and tree systems
  • naturalistic and vitiforestry gardens
  • a regenerative pathway network

These are all intended to regenerate soils, expand functional biodiversity, and strengthen microclimatic buffers while maintaining compliance with the strict Pommard appellation requirements.

Highlights

  • Benefits of trees
    The study showed that integrating trees within vineyard systems can enhance carbon sequestration, restore ecological connectivity, and reduce climate vulnerability, supported by robust monitoring tools such as microclimate sensors, drones, and biodiversity assessments. It also confirmed how rare scientifically designed vitiforestry systems remain in modern European viticulture, highlighting the opportunity for significant innovation and leadership.
  • Lessons learned
    The study demonstrates how a globally recognised wine landscape could serve as a blueprint for regenerative production, combining high-quality wine output with landscape restoration, visitor engagement, and climate adaptation. The feasibility work has produced a replicable framework, design scenarios, and evidence-based principles that can inform broader efforts to scale regenerative viticulture – an area where well-documented, scientifically monitored case studies are still scarce.